Blake Martinez is 'a football junkie'

[Cheesehead]

(On evaluating college production)


I care about pressure, affecting the quarterback. Dee Ford and Justin Houston, we never talked about sacks. (Gary) had 60-some pressures the last couple years. He played a lot of six-technique. That’s hard to rush the quarterback as a six-technique. At one point, someone said he doesn’t rush to the football. You talk to any coach at Michigan and I talked to all of them – he gives it his all.


(On Kyler Fackrell and the OLBs)


Everybody has to get better. He had a great year last year with the sacks. Outside linebackers are important to this defense. The guys we picked up, they’re big, versatile guys. There’s going to be times when we have four outside linebackers on the field. It’s a lot of ‘11’ personnel now. It’s 50/50. You have to have guys who can affect the quarterback. … He has a big edge on everybody with the dropping stuff. He’s a guy who can rush and get back.


(On working with defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery)


Jerry and I talk every morning. There’s times when I tell ‘Z and Gary to go to the d-line for first part of individual. We get into that sub-stuff, it’s a four-man front, running games. It might be the best relationship I’ve had with a coach. He’s a damn good coach.


Secondary coach Jason Simmons


(on having the DBs all meeting together now)


"It allows for greater continuity on the back end, for the corners and the safeties to be on the same page. That's the biggest thing, because everybody knows where the strengths and weaknesses are with all the coverages. What we’ve found is the best way to do it, with this staff and this defense, is to be together."


(on Amos and Savage at safety)


"They’re both intelligent football players, that’s the main thing. You don’t have a guy that has to carry the other guy. They have the call command to be able to command the whole back end. Both of those guys are professionals, the way they approach it. With Darnell, he has a long way to go. He’s not ready at this point, but the best thing is he realizes that. He has guys who are willing to put their arms around him and help him. For splash plays (with Amos), he makes really good plays as a safety. He’s consistent, and that’s what I like about him."


(on the opportunity Raven Greene has at safety)


"He has the same one everybody else has. I can’t say one guy has more of a chance than anybody else if what I’m preaching is competitiveness, and people are competing for jobs."


Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery


(On Kenny Clark)


Since Day 1, he’s a pro. He comes to work every day and does exactly what you ask him, exactly how you ask him to do it. He’s going to be his best him. I think if he finishes out the year healthy, his production in the run game was tremendous. He goes about his business every single day.


(On working with Mike Smith)


I’ve taken some of the outside backers and worked run fundamentals, and he’s taken some of the bigs and worked some of the pass rush stuff. We’ve mixed and matched a little bit. There’s guys who will play inside on certain downs. I’m a run-first guy and he’s a pass-first guy. You got the best of both worlds.