BB: Alright, so this is No. 7 for us here. Just kind of grinding through it, you know. We got a few things done yesterday. I'm hoping we'll get some more done today and tomorrow and move into next week. Conditions were good for us yesterday. We had some good work in there with the wet field, wet ball and so forth. A little different today. We'll take whatever comes and try to make the most out of it.
Q: What went into the decision to sweeten Rob Gronkowski's contract and put some incentives in there for the season?
BB: Yeah, I'm not going to discuss the player contracts.
Q: Do you feel like Gronkowski needed extra motivation or was that a way of rewarding a guy who has been a very good player for you?
BB: I guess it's the same answer. I'm not going to discuss player contracts.
Q: What have you learned about Kony Ealy in the last few months of having him here that you did not know before?
BB: I didn't really know Kony much at all. Great kid, works hard, really accountable, tries to do everything right.
Q: Does Ealy remind you of anyone else you've had at that position in the past from a body type standpoint?
BB: Well, you know, with all players - all new players, especially - we try to work with them on their physical skills, which includes weight, conditioning and so forth, strength, and just try to maximize it for what's best for them. Each of us are different. We'll try to find what's best for him in what we do, not in what some other team did, but what we do.
Q: Have you seen much of Ealy's disruption at the line of scrimmage through six practices or is that hard to see in this setting?
BB: Yeah, I mean, the line play is definitely tempoed down. You know, we've gotten some batted balls. Good for the defense, bad for the offense because, obviously, we can't throw it through them. Length plays a part of that, but that's not really a big emphasis point out here. We don't want to have a lot of contact in the interior line play. It's a teaching camp. Skills guys can run around, but we don't have many run plays - hardly any - and the passing plays, we don't want to power rush the linemen into the quarterback and things like that. We'll see more of that in camp. I don't think it's that big of a deal right now.
Q: What have you seen from James Develin over the years and how much he has grown over the years as a player?
BB: Yeah, James works hard. He's improved every year. He's one of the strongest players on our team, very dependable, smart. He helps us in a lot of different ways. He does a lot of the unsung, dirty jobs. You know, he goes into the corner and gets the puck. He doesn't stand in front of the net and put it in, but he goes and digs it out.
Q: Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett spoke about the competition in the quarterback room. Even right now in minicamp, how would you describe the competition level among the three quarterbacks?
BB: Well, I think it's competitive on the team to learn and get the assignments right and come out here and do it right. It's not a physically competitive camp, but yeah, sure, it's competitive to learn and execute in the opportunities that we get to do that. Absolutely, I'd say that's across the board, all positions.
Q: To us, it seems like there is a pretty clear-cut hierarchy at that position, but does it feel like a competition where they're all competing against each other for time?
BB: I think we have competition throughout our entire team, and I think that whatever happens will be decided by whatever the players earn in training camp. I mean, nobody's going to make the team out here in this week or next week. It's not what this is for, but it will put them in position to compete later on and then we'll see what happens.
Q: Is there a reason you invite college coaches to practice?
BB: We've had them here every year. We've had a lot of coaches come through here. We go to see them, they come to see us. We open our doors to them, sure. We have good relationships with a lot of the colleges, and the colleges do a great job of accommodating our scouts and coaches in the offseason into their programs, give us information about their players, and we reciprocate.
Q: With all that you have accomplished in your career, what are some of the things left that you still want to accomplish?
BB: I'd like to go out and have a good practice today. That would be at the top of the list right now.
Q: What's after that?
BB: We'll correct it and get ready for tomorrow.
Q: Since there is no contact right now, how difficult is it to evaluate the running back position?
BB: Well, again, all the positions are under the same structure, so it's a teaching camp. It's an opportunity to get plays installed, do a lot of team work. The contact part of the game, some of the individual fundamentals are going to have to wait until training camp. We'll get to that at that time and then we'll execute them at a competitive level and see how it goes.
Q: What sort of development have you seen from Geneo Grissom since he came here as a rookie?
BB: You know, Geneo's done a lot of different things for us. He continues to work hard and improve. He improved a lot in the kicking game last year and he's doing a lot of things for us on defense now, both outside and inside. So we'll see how it goes. Great kid, though, works hard, does everything you ask him to do.
Q: What was it about James O'Shaughnessy that made you want to work with him and see what he might be able to do here?
BB: You know, he's another player we saw - part of the draft a couple years ago. He's played quite a bit for Kansas City, mostly in the kicking game, but has some skills at tight end. We'll put him in the competition, see how it goes. It felt like the trade was something we were willing to give up for a player of his caliber, so we made that move.
Q: With that tight end group, Dwayne Allen seems like the smallest guy at 6-foot-3. Does it stand out to you that you have a lot of length at that position?
BB: Yeah, well, we'll see how it goes. I mean, in the end it comes down to performance, execution. It's not a beauty contest. It's about playing football, so we'll see how we play.
Q: Is there anything specific you saw from Lawrence Guy that made you want to sign him, or was it more his full body of work and the development that obviously happened since he first came into the league?
BB: No question. Yeah, he's come a long way from Arizona State. He was a young player. You know, he's been in the league whatever it is, seven years, six years, and he's only 26, 27. He was a 20-year-old rookie, basically, when he came out. He's developed quite a bit. We've seen his growth both on and off the field from our interactions with him back at Arizona State. Obviously, we had a lot of respect for him playing against the Ravens, but I'd say more the total body of work and improvement and progression that he's made through the course of his career.
Q: Is one of the attractions of Lawrence Guy his ability to play anywhere on the defensive line?
BB: We'll see. Yeah, what guys have done for another team is great, but we'll see what they do for us and how it all works out. I don't know how it's going to go.
