Chris Havel on Bob Sanders

[motife]

Posted June 04, 2006

Chris Havel
Sanders settles Packers defenseWith Bob Sanders, what you see is what you get, and Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy likes what he sees in his defensive coordinator.

“What I’m pleased with is that I definitely know I made the right decision,” McCarthy said this week.

“What I know about Bob today, after working with him the past several months, is what I knew about him when I hired him. Bob Sanders was himself (in the interview process), which I appreciate, and I definitely know he was the right individual for keeping our system intact and improving upon what we’re building.”

One could argue it’s too early to ordain Sanders as the best possible successor to Jim Bates. Then again, it isn’t too early for a head coach to realize he made a mistake.

“It happens in this league,” McCarthy said.

No head coach would publicly admit he made a poor choice in hiring a coordinator, especially before a game had been played. But I also suspect McCarthy wouldn’t be so bold if he didn’t believe Sanders was the right man for the job.

“Just observing him today, in his defensive meeting, he does a great job of presentation and interaction and getting feedback from the players,” McCarthy said.

Sanders, 52, seemed appreciative of the compliment.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m working extremely hard to get it done the way (McCarthy) wants it done, first and foremost, because I don’t want to let him or the team down,” Sanders said.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve trained long and hard for this opportunity. To be here and to stay here, with a great organization and great fans, I feel blessed. It’s exciting to work for a head coach that’s very organized and enthusiastic.”

While McCarthy was searching for Bates’ successor, Sanders was a holdover on the Packers’ staff as the defensive line coach. The two were down the hallway from each other during the two-week interim. Sanders took advantage of that proximity in a simple, straightforward way.

“The thing I did was just be me,” Sanders said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m not Jim. I’m not anyone else. I’m just me. I just tried to share the passion that I feel for the game, and the love I feel for Green Bay and the Packers and this defense and the guys that are here.

“I didn’t try to put on any airs. I just said, ‘Hereââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s what I think. Here’s what I can do to help. Here’s what I would do if given the chance.’Ã� �¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚

Sanders said the best advice Bates gave him during their time together was “to be consistent, stay fundamentally sound, and sometimes less is better.”

Middle linebacker Nick Barnett described the transition from Bates to Sanders as seamless.

“They have their unique coaching styles, but it’s been a pretty smooth transition,” he said.

“They both have a sense of urgency, and they know what a player wants.”

Which is?

“Really good information,” Barnett said. “You want a guy that’s going to give you confidence in his scheme, that it’s proven and that it works. (Sanders) is doing that. He’s also playful with the guys. You don’t want to be lectured all the time. You want someone with a sense of humor.”

Near the conclusion of Wednesday’s organized team activity, Sanders was animated while correcting Barnett. The veteran linebacker fired back at his coordinator. Sanders had the last word, and Barnett picked up his helmet and trotted off.

“Two good competitors trying to get it done the right way,” Sanders said. “If anybody noticed, after practice we walked off together and we were laughing. It’s not personal. It’s business. He wants to get it done right. He wants me to coach him hard, and I want to coach him hard. That’s what he expects of me.

“I knew exactly where Nick stood. It was a learning situation. The points were made. Nick’s one of the best team guys I’ve ever been around, and I appreciate his passion and his leadership. Those things are healthy.”

One change under Sanders, at McCarthy’s behest, is to split the two-hour meetings into two parts. Players spend one hour in the meeting room. Then they go to the gymnasium, stretch and cover the same points in a walk-through.

“Some guys learn in the classroom,” Barnett said. “Some guys learn on the field. He’s attacking both methods of teaching, and that’s a positive.”

McCarthy admits even he has a difficult time staying alert during a two-hour meeting.

“Trust me, it’s the same for the players,” he said. “Everybody learns differently. It’s important you touch the whole group. The hands-on teaching and the walk-through approach are going to be a big part of what we do here.”

McCarthy is sensitive to Sanders’ needs as a defensive coordinator. He also is sensitive to the stereotype that he’s “an offensive guy.”

“Itââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s important that I’m viewed as the head coach,” he said.

McCarthy has worked exclusively for NFL head coaches with defensive backgrounds.

“I know what it is to be the stepchild, and I don’t want that to be the feeling from the (defensive) side of the ball,” he said.

“Some of the mistakes I’ve seen in the past, or been part of, occur when the offense, defense and special teams aren’t on the same page. Any time the team is compromised by one phase of the ball, you’re compromising your chance to win.”

In Kansas City, for instance, the defense played bump-and-run coverage almost exclusively. McCarthy’s offense never got to work against any other type of coverage. They had to make the time during their offensive period, rather than steal time from the defense.

“We could have been a little more offense-friendly,” he said. “So with that in mind, it would be easy to say, ‘Bob, I need some off coverage.’ But I was on the other side of that and I thought, ‘Iâââ� �šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m not going to do that to Bob.’ For me to tell Bob to play something he’s not going to play in games isn’t in the defense’s best interest.”

McCarthy also said he never will interrupt or interfere with Sanders’ play-calling during a series.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve had it happen to me and it’s very counterproductive,” McCarthy said. “Itââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s about rhythm. Now you go into that thought process and break that rhythm, it’s not productive. After a series, I might say, ‘Bob, what about this?’ But not during it.”

For his part, Sanders is focused on tweaking the defense between now and when the organized team activities wrap up June 21.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m encouraged by the work ethic in the weight room,” Sanders said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m also encouraged by the excitement and energy we’ve shown. I look forward to hitting it running once training camp opens.”

Judging by McCarthy’s comments, and those of some of the players, Sanders already has hit it running.

Chris Havel can be reached by voice mail at (920) 431-8586 or by e-mail.

[RashanGary]

Is it just me or has Havel now kissed the asses of all the new coaches and front office personall one by one, week by week.

His nose has got to be brown and I'm starting to wonder if his butt has been penetrated as well.


He's plugged in though and he seems to get some of the most info. I guess being an ass kisser gets you premium insider status. There are enough objective, non-plugged in reporters. It's nice to have an ass kisser on the inside. We need the diversity.

[Noodle]

Good article, though I learned more about M3 than Sanders, and what I learned about M3 I liked very much. Two things stood out:

1. Splitting the two-hour meetings. Holy crap, did the old staff really make NFL players sit through 2 hour meetings? That's friggin insane! I like the way M3 is now breaking it up in to 1 hour of meeting, 1 hour of doing. That's the same method they use in the Army to teach stuff that you really have to do right, like throwing grenades. See it, then do it right away.

2. Staying out of his DCs hair, but showing his DC love. Man, there was some great stuff on this. I hope he does indeed try to avoid disrupting Sanders's defensive play calling. And it's cool that M3 recognizes that sometimes the O in practice should give the D a look they'll see on Sunday. Shows me that M3 has learned some lessons the hard way.

Now if M3 would only stop running down reporters.

[Bossman641]

Good article

I didn't really know much about Sanders at the time of the hiring or even 5 minutes ago. Seems like a good guy. I just hope he can get the defense to play as high-energy as it did last year even though he doesn't have the intensity and energy level that Bates did.

[woodbuck27]

Is it just me or has Havel now kissed the asses of all the new coaches and front office personall one by one, week by week.

His nose has got to be brown and I'm starting to wonder if his butt has been penetrated as well.


He's plugged in though and he seems to get some of the most info. I guess being an ass kisser gets you premium insider status. There are enough objective, non-plugged in reporters. It's nice to have an ass kisser on the inside. We need the diversity.

Yes. Havel does have that 'feel good' style of reporting about him. It's certainly alot easier to handle than the crap we have 'to discipher' from alot of the reporters though.

It's sure good to hear that there has been a smooth transition from Bates to Saunders, and he doesn't sound like any REAL softy either. Talks straight up, works very hard and can toss in the humor as well. A solid combination for a personality.