Klayton Adams Interview (The Athletic)

[Kwyn]

Anyone interested an hour long interview with Clayton by Robert Mays, of the best foootball guys on the web, will love this.

Very detailed and specific about the cowboys offense and Adams history.

You can see why this guy is a hot property across the industry . With every team wanting offensive Head Coaches, it’s almost certain he’ll be the first Cowboy coordinator to go.

The YouTube version will be up at noon today



Here’s the podcast with two links. It’s live now.



Or

 

[gimmesix]

I think Adams is a really good offensive line coach, especially for his run blocking schemes. I don't know what he is as an offensive coordinator because the offense is No-Schott's area of expertise. How much of the offense is No-Schott and how much is Adams?

If I'm a team looking for a head coach, I'd be much more interested in what Christian Parker does because you know his head coach isn't helping him on that side of the ball.

 

[gtb1943]

I think we might have the best OL coach since Callahan

 

[Kwyn]

JK and I won’t bump it.

I think Adams is a really good offensive line coach, especially for his run blocking schemes. I don't know what he is as an offensive coordinator because the offense is No-Schott's area of expertise. How much of the offense is No-Schott and how much is Adams?

If I'm a team looking for a head coach, I'd be much more interested in what Christian Parker does because you know his head coach isn't helping him on that side of the ball.

Adams talks about that at length

He said that the offense is Schottenheimer’s and that obviously includes play calling

He said that when Schottenheimer recruited him for the job he wanted Clayton to bring some really out there ideas that were different than a lot of teams, especially in the run game. He had watched the Cardinals run game and noted that they did a lot of really inventive things and he wanted that for the Cowboys

So, i think it’s safe to say the running play design last year was heavily influenced by Adams but the general offensive strategy and all of the passing game was Schottenheimer

As to Parker, only 10 NFL head clashes come from the defensive side of the ball and the trends over the last decade are cycling more and more to the offensive side .

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I think Adams is a really good offensive line coach, especially for his run blocking schemes. I don't know what he is as an offensive coordinator because the offense is No-Schott's area of expertise. How much of the offense is No-Schott and how much is Adams?

If I were hiring an OC it would be Adams over Schotty in a heartbeat. No question. Schotty never offered anything particularly innovative... What he offered was that Dak was comfortable with him.

A lot of the things we do in the passing game are the things we've done since Garrett was here because that's what Dak wants to do. I almost laughed when the interviewer asked why we were in the gun so much on second and long. The real answer is that's what Dak likes the most, but Adams couldn't say that.

Going to be a sad day when Adams is hired away and we're left with BS.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

I think Adams is a really good offensive line coach, especially for his run blocking schemes. I don't know what he is as an offensive coordinator because the offense is No-Schott's area of expertise. How much of the offense is No-Schott and how much is Adams?

I could be wrong, but I think he has a heavy role as something similar to a running coordinator. Remember when Jerry forced Garrett to share offensive coordinator duties with Bill Callahan? I'm not saying Jerry forced Schotty but he and Adams work closely together on weekly game planning.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

If I were hiring an OC it would be Adams over Schotty in a heartbeat. No question. Schotty never offered anything particularly innovative... What he offered was that Dak loved him.

A lot of the things we do in the passing game are the things we've done since Garrett was here because that's what Dak wants to do. I almost laughed when the interviewer asked why we were in the gun so much on second and long. The real answer is that's what Dak likes the most, but Adams couldn't say that.

Going to be a sad day when Adams is hired away and we're left with BS.

I mean based on this it’s all Dak and BS anyway lol….

Adam’s track record is impeccable. I just don’t know how much credit to give him or BS until we get to the playoffs. Because right now the offense is doing what it’s always done. Run game got worse as the season went on.

 

[Nova]

This should be a featured post. This is fantastic!

Thanks @Kwyn

 

[Kwyn]

He went into depth on his passion for “cool ****” plays and that he watches every single explosive running play across the league every single week and captures those he wants to study and steal.

I learned some football nerd speak that I had never heard and hearing him and Mays breaking down specific plays, even going back to the Cardinals was cool.
Discussion of a Schottenheimer ‘s leadership style, coach search methodology, his growth as a coach and why Schottenheimer recruited him.

 

[gimmesix]

I could be wrong, but I think he has a heavy role as something similar to a running coordinator. Remember when Jerry forced Garrett to share offensive coordinator duties with Bill Callahan? I'm not saying Jerry forced Schotty but he and Adams work closely together on weekly game planning.

I do think No-Schott brought him in because he liked some of the run schemes that Arizona was using with Adams as OL coach. But how heavy a role he plays in the schemes here is hard to say. No-Schott has had strong running games in other stops as a coordinator. It's not like he was a passing guy so he had to go get a running guy. Now, he may have wanted to avoid what got him fired in Seattle when he leaned on the pass too much and the offense regressed. Having someone who can keep you in check on such things (even though you are calling the plays) can be a good thing.

 

[gimmesix]

If I were hiring an OC it would be Adams over Schotty in a heartbeat. No question. Schotty never offered anything particularly innovative... What he offered was that Dak was comfortable with him.

A lot of the things we do in the passing game are the things we've done since Garrett was here because that's what Dak wants to do. I almost laughed when the interviewer asked why we were in the gun so much on second and long. The real answer is that's what Dak likes the most, but Adams couldn't say that.

Going to be a sad day when Adams is hired away and we're left with BS.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

He went into depth on his passion for “cool ****” plays and that he watches every single explosive running play across the league every single week and captures those he wants to study and steal.

I learned some football nerd speak that I had never heard and hearing him and Mays breaking down specific plays, even going back to the Cardinals was cool.
Discussion of a Schottenheimer ‘s leadership style, coach search methodology, his growth as a coach and why Schottenheimer recruited him.

One reason this was so good is the interviewer actually asked interesting questions. Totally different from the 105.3 clowns or similar.

 

[Kwyn]

One reason this was so good is the interviewer actually asked interesting questions. Totally different from the 105.3 clowns or similar.

Mays is terrific. Been a fan since his days at Grantland. He’s a lifelong bears fans but really doesn’t work on the entire league

He said he’s in Carolinas training camp this weekend but will be at Cowboys training camp next week so I’m sure we’ll get more cowboys

 

[gimmesix]

If I were hiring an OC it would be Adams over Schotty in a heartbeat. No question. Schotty never offered anything particularly innovative... What he offered was that Dak was comfortable with him.

A lot of the things we do in the passing game are the things we've done since Garrett was here because that's what Dak wants to do. I almost laughed when the interviewer asked why we were in the gun so much on second and long. The real answer is that's what Dak likes the most, but Adams couldn't say that.

Going to be a sad day when Adams is hired away and we're left with BS.

I tried to reply to this, but it was blank the first time and apparently it timed out when I tried to edit it.

I don't know on Adams. He's been an offensive coordinator once in his career, for one year at Colorado. He's been a really good OL coach, but that doesn't mean he'd be a great coordinator on his own. Here, he may be a contributor, but it's No-Schott's offense and No-Schott is calling the plays.

I feel with Adams, it could be grass-is-greener syndrome. He was OC for one of the top offenses, but the offense wasn't really his. We won't know if he's good at that job until he's out of the shadow of an offensive coach.

I think No-Schott gets less credit than he deserves as an offensive coach. As a coordinator (under defensive head coaches), he's had some really good offenses (and some pretty bad ones). Most of the time when he had a bad one, there was a good reason for it, like losing the starting QB for most or all of the season. Before he came here under McCarty as the run game guy, he had the NFL's top rushing offense his first year there, and Russell Wilson had his highest QB rating, he had a top 10 offense in rushing, total yards and scoring the next year and Seattle set a franchise record for points the next year.

The Seahawks regressed offensively late in that last season and Carroll fired him over "philosophical differences" because No-Schott got away from running the ball. I kind of wonder if that is why he hired Adams, to help keep him in check to make sure he doesn't make that mistake again.

 

[gimmesix]

JK and I won’t bump it.

Adams talks about that at length

He said that the offense is Schottenheimer’s and that obviously includes play calling

He said that when Schottenheimer recruited him for the job he wanted Clayton to bring some really out there ideas that were different than a lot of teams, especially in the run game. He had watched the Cardinals run game and noted that they did a lot of really inventive things and he wanted that for the Cowboys

So, i think it’s safe to say the running play design last year was heavily influenced by Adams but the general offensive strategy and all of the passing game was Schottenheimer

As to Parker, only 10 NFL head clashes come from the defensive side of the ball and the trends over the last decade are cycling more and more to the offensive side .

Yeah, I didn't watch this long video so I'm obviously speaking off the cuff. However, what you wrote is what I thought without watching it. You get your first head coaching job and you have the opportunity to enhance what you are doing. I liked the Adams hire for that reason because I thought he could add to what No-Schott wanted to do, and maybe even help him stay on task with the offense. Like I wrote in a different reply, No-Schott was fired in Seattle because he got too focused on the passing game and neglected the running game, which is strange for him because he's had strong running games other years as a coordinator. Maybe No-Schott learned from that and thought that if he was going to be successful as a head coach calling his own plays, he needed a strong, run-minded OC to keep him straight.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I feel with Adams, it could be grass-is-greener syndrome. He was OC for one of the top offenses, but the offense wasn't really his. We won't know if he's good at that job until he's out of the shadow of an offensive coach.

Most people gave him credit for Arizona being such a good running team even with average talent and no stars. And the next year when he left, they went back to terrible.

He'd done at least as much as Saint Parker when he was hired.

 

[BobSacamano]

I tried to reply to this, but it was blank the first time and apparently it timed out when I tried to edit it.

I don't know on Adams. He's been an offensive coordinator once in his career, for one year at Colorado. He's been a really good OL coach, but that doesn't mean he'd be a great coordinator on his own. Here, he may be a contributor, but it's No-Schott's offense and No-Schott is calling the plays.

I feel with Adams, it could be grass-is-greener syndrome. He was OC for one of the top offenses, but the offense wasn't really his. We won't know if he's good at that job until he's out of the shadow of an offensive coach.

I think No-Schott gets less credit than he deserves as an offensive coach. As a coordinator (under defensive head coaches), he's had some really good offenses (and some pretty bad ones). Most of the time when he had a bad one, there was a good reason for it, like losing the starting QB for most or all of the season. Before he came here under McCarty as the run game guy, he had the NFL's top rushing offense his first year there, and Russell Wilson had his highest QB rating, he had a top 10 offense in rushing, total yards and scoring the next year and Seattle set a franchise record for points the next year.

The Seahawks regressed offensively late in that last season and Carroll fired him over "philosophical differences" because No-Schott got away from running the ball. I kind of wonder if that is why he hired Adams, to help keep him in check to make sure he doesn't make that mistake again.

I get that Klayton hasn’t coordinated many offenses before, but as an Oline coach, you need to be really well versed with what is going on offense as a whole.

To say that he only coaches Oline and thus doesn’t know how to coordinate a whole offense would not be 100% correct.

 

[Kwyn]

I get that Klayton hasn’t coordinated many offenses before, but as an Oline coach, you need to be really well versed with what is going on offense as a whole.

To say that he only coaches Oline and thus doesn’t know how to coordinate a whole offense would not be 100% correct.

Clayton said one of the reasons there’s not a long history of o-line coaches becoming coordinators or head coaches is precisely *because* the tend to have a narrow focus and not pay attention to the rest of the team. He said that as a coaching subset they have us against the world mentalities and that doesn’t lend itself to broader responsibilities.

He gave an example of an o-line coach that didn’t know the name of the starting cornerbacks on his own team because oline only cares about oline.

He said it’s something he became aware of with himself and challenged himself to do more

He then said that he still has things to learn about inclusion since he joined the Cowboys.

Example he gave was that he held an odd season coaching off site and only invited offensive coaches. He said some of the defensive guys gave him a hard time and he’s recognized the importance of the team wide scope, particularly after seeing how Schottenheimer handled the entire staff.

 

[Xizor]

If I were hiring an OC it would be Adams over Schotty in a heartbeat. No question. Schotty never offered anything particularly innovative... What he offered was that Dak was comfortable with him.

A lot of the things we do in the passing game are the things we've done since Garrett was here because that's what Dak wants to do. I almost laughed when the interviewer asked why we were in the gun so much on second and long. The real answer is that's what Dak likes the most, but Adams couldn't say that.

Going to be a sad day when Adams is hired away and we're left with BS.

Man think you are being too hard too fast. Shotty brought him here and hired him. He deserves credit for that. I think the Jones' gave him credit for that because they let him hire his offensive staff and hired a crew that lead us to a top 5 offense and let him hire his defense for this year. They haven't even played yet and the defensive coaching staff is already getting good grades here and in the media. We got to let this man cook more before we compare him to Garrett. Also Garrett and Mccarthy, when he was calling plays without Kellen, had very little motion. Shotty brought back motion to this offense. Not saying we should start comparing him to Jimmy just saying lets let him cook a bit more.

 

[gimmesix]

I get that Klayton hasn’t coordinated many offenses before, but as an Oline coach, you need to be really well versed with what is going on offense as a whole.

To say that he only coaches Oline and thus doesn’t know how to coordinate a whole offense would not be 100% correct.

Not everyone who coaches a position makes a good coordinator. There are plenty of failed examples out there.

I don't know how he'd do coordinating an entire offense, and that was my point. We like what we saw of him from his time in Arizona, where he was strictly an OL coach, and what we saw last year, where he was run game coordinator for an offensive coordinator turned head coach who built his chops on having strong run games.

We simply have no idea if he would be good at it if he were to be named some team's coordinator and really put in charge of the offense, and anyone who assumes either way is just making an assumption at this point.