“How you guys doin’?”

Good, how are you? How’s fatherhood?

“It’s great. It’s been awesome.”

How many diapers have you changed?

“Like probably in the low double digits. I think I’m into the double digits, though. Between 10 and 15, probably. So what do you guys got?”

You sort of have a depleted group it sounds like from what Jim said the other day with Christian [Turner] out and Zach [Charbonnet]. What are you seeing from Tru [Wilson] and who you have left? Hassan’s [Haskins] been out, too, I think?

“Yeah, so we’ve had a few guys out. The good thing is we have a bunch of guys that are really willing and really capable and highly coachable, so the guys that were before the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh guys have gotten a lot better and those guys really have just showed competitiveness and willingness to put themselves in with the ones and twos and to do some pretty good stuff. And guys that are really just taking advantage of the opportunity to go against a Jordan Anthony and a Gil and a Glasgow and a Khaleke, et cetera. So it’s really just been fun to watch.”

And Tru’s the starter right now?

“Yes.”

How’s he handled that?

“He’s handled it well. It’s more of a role than he’s ever had and gradually he’s eased into it and I think he’s getting used to that every-play type of deal if we’re in a move-the-ball situation and you’re talking about like five, six, sevens plays in a row he only maybe did that a couple times last year so it’s a little bit different in terms of the sustained focus and the cardio that it takes, but he’s doing a pretty good job.”

Where has he improved the most since last season?

“I’d be curious if y’all asked him what he’d say. I think that he’s playing a lot faster. He’s a guy who did a lot of work this offseason just cleaning up his nutrition, doing a lot of extra speed work and it’s really showed up in like perimeter runs, being able to put his foot in the ground and get vertical. A lot of times a run last year that might have been a four- or six-yard run now he’s running through that arm tackle and it’s 10, 12, 15 so it’s been fun to watch. He’s had a few big plays this spring.”

[Hit THE JUMP for more]

How’s Ben VanSumeren doing making that move from fullback to running back?

“He’s doing well. He’s doing really well and he’s really moved from linebacker, actually, back to offense so big transition and he’s handled it well. There’s growing pains just understanding the level of detail on certain plays. You know, you get to the point where okay, I know this run’s going this way but now I’ve got to know, hey, this is my landmark, this is my footwork, this is my read so he’s just gradually building up on the level of detail that he can handle and execute with.”

How does this offense change with Josh [Gattis] coming in? How does it affect your group?

“That’s a great question. Um… we’re still a run-first team, and the runs that we’re running aren’t really much different. I think that the way that it’s presented to them just from a learning standpoint I think they’ve taken to pretty well, so when you talk about the transition of a guy like Ben VanSumeren from defense to offense or a guy who maybe was like a fourth or fifth or sixth guy elevating up, those guys were able to learn really quickly. Faster, probably, than in the last system. That’s one difference that I’ve seen that’s benefited them.

“The other thing is there’s more involvement with screens and we’ve made more of an emphasis on that and guys are taking to it and understanding the detail of them and all that. It’s overall been great but it’s tough to say, ‘Hey, this one thig is super different’ if that makes sense.”

Speaking of that, with Josh coming in and as a returning offensive staff member, how does that affect you guys as coaches having him there?

“Great question. It’s kind of like we all know the basics of his system because there’s pieces of it that we’ve done before but then hearing from him, a guy who’s like—who knows hey, this is this play and this is all the things a defense can do to stop this play, he’s seen all those and so he knows what the answers are and the direction an offense needs to go and say ‘Hey, okay, if they’re defending us like this then the next move is like this and this is what we should do next.’ It’s been really cool to see that and we’re learning kind of his thought process, the way he sees the game, the way he wants to attack a defense so that’s probably been the main thing and it’s been fun. He’s been incredible to work with.”

So many of your guys have been on both sides, not just VanSumeren but Tru Wilson having made that switch, Lucas Andrighetto before the injury. Is there a benefit at all to that? Not just having to come and learn a new side of the ball but is there a benefit?

“Yeah. I think that’s a great observation. It certainly is a benefit. You look at guys just starting, for instance, on the Pop Warner level. People talk about specialization in sports being a problem but the thing people don’t talk about is specialization in one sport is a problem. Like if you’re a point guard and you never get a chance to play off the ball it’s a problem and if you’re in football and you’re a running back your whole life there’s a lot of skills that you’re probably not developing in terms of understanding of leverage and tackling and blocking and just basic defensive principles that are super helpful in pass-pro, they’re super helpful in special teams, so guys that have played defense leading up to high school and then in high school and then you add what you just mentioned, the college level is huge because they’ve really now seen a high level of detail on both sides and they just have a more complete view of the game.

“So in a long way yes, it does help and it’s kind of something that I think nowadays we’re seeing a little bit of a dangerous path. Like if a guy’s just playing on one side of the ball, which is—its interesting.”

Two reporters: Jim mentioned this week--

“Wow, that was amazing. Was that choregraphed?”

Jim mentioned this week mental reps are important for these guys. Is there any concern for you about these guys who are missing time being behind the learning curve a little bit?

[points at other reporter]

“Is that what you were gonna ask?”

That’s pretty much what I was gonna ask.

“That’s pretty good.”

We work together, too.

“Okay, that’s fair. So he stole your thunder then.”

Yeah, little bit.

“So yeah, I mean, the main thing I try to stress to those guys is being out doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fall behind. It’s a challenge for each one of these guys is can you stay engaged to the point where mentally it’s as if you were about to go in on the next play, and it’s really hard to do. Very few players do it but that’s the standard to see if you can stand there knowing you’re not gonna go in for three or four or five practices or the rest of spring and be focused as if you’re about to go in. If you approach it like that you can mitigate some of those concerns like you were saying.

“If a guy is like just thinking about other stuff out there, which is, like, a natural reaction for a lot of guys, then you’re gonna have a lot of trouble and when they come back then they’ll have that feeling of like oh man, I missed too much stuff so I think it’s possible and we’re working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

More specifically, how has Zach Charbonnet done in his first spring, first deal with anything here?

“He’s done really well. Him, CT, and Hassan have all maintained a high level of engagement with everything in terms of learning the offense, really understanding details and being able to stand back there, watch what’s happening in front of them, and track whoever they’re blocking in protection with their eyes or have their eyes on the run read, really just resist the urge to become a spectator when you’re out at practice and then resist the urge to have that disengaged feeling of like oh man, the team is moving on without me and I’m stuck back here. All three of those guys have done a pretty good job of just fighting that urge and staying with it.”

What does the timeline for those three guys look like right now?

“They’ll all be back for the season without any restrictions or concerns.”

Do you expect any to be back before spring ends?

“Possibly CT and Hassan should both be. They should both be.”

When did you know Charbonnet was going to be out for the spring? Was that a premeditated thing?

“Yeah, it was expected. It was the kind of thing we knew for quite some time and based on certain—just the expertise of doctors here and being able to do a surgery, a rehab, the post-op, just everything in house, it’s really reassuring when you can supervise and structure the entire recovery. It’s the kind of thing where there is no downside. Either way he’s going to miss spring most likely and so let’s do it all here and make sure everything is exactly right so that when he transitions to summer training it’s smooth and there’s no more concerns.”

When he does recover where does he fit in the offense or how does he fit in the running back room?

“He fits like those other guys. They’re all competing: Tru, Hassan, CT, Zach, Capatina, Julian [Garrett], I mean all those guys are competing. We don’t have—we’re not gonna end spring knowing who’s going to be our top guy for sure the first game.We’ll have an idea that this is where it stands but there’s a lot more work to be done throughout summer and those guys know that they’re building a body of work throughout of how reliable can I be, what’s the strength staff’s opinion of me through July, through June [or] July, all that stuff.

“So it’s a marathon and the sprint of spring is important, but you’ve got to be able to sustain. That’s the good thing for those guys that are out is there’s not any—they know, okay, I can get back and I can get back in the fight. I feel good about all of them.”

You know Ben Mason pretty well; you worked with him last year.

“Love Ben. One of my top guys.”

Does he have the mental makeup that’s maybe more designed for playing defense because the guys were talking about he’s coming off the ball screaming and he’s being Ben, I guess.

“Yeah, Ben is like a defensive-minded player. I think you’re exactly right. That’s like his natural like come out of the womb penetrating into the backfield and sacking people. That’s what he was born to do, just wreak havoc and smash people and all that, but he really has an offensive skillset more so than people would imagine. He catches the ball really naturally, as a runner he’s really smooth and comfortable—it’s weird. It doesn’t take a whole lot of work for him to get into a groove offensively. I think you’re right but he does have offensive traits too.”

Do you have any update on Chris Evans and whether he’ll be cleared?

“No update. That’s not something I’m involved in. We’re not involved with it and so like really out of the loop on it and it’s kind of being left in the appropriate hands and we’re just waiting to see what they decide.”