On what he missed from the NFL and whether he considered retirement: “Nah, not really. Sometimes it’s forced retirement, but it’s more about getting the right situation for you. Like I said before, I had opportunities — other opportunities that I could’ve taken, but I wasn’t going to go somewhere I didn’t feel comfortable with the organization and the people there.”
“You always miss football, you miss coaching, you miss the relationships with the players, you miss the relationships with the coaches. I probably needed a little time off just because some of the things that happened with family. And that was important to me to take some time to help the rest of my family in some of those situations, too. But at the end of the day it draws back in. My dad was a high school coach for 30-some years, I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I’m excited to try to get where I can help players be better and teams to be better.”
On his college experience and what he learned about coaching young players: “First thing is Deion [Sanders] and I connected here many, many years ago. I didn’t know him at all. First time I met him, he basically had an entourage with him; the chains and all the stuff. We’d become unbelievably great friends. I haven’t spent as much time at Jackson State and Colorado as people think, quite honestly. I was at Jackson St. two days and I’ve never been to Colorado. But we talk on the phone a lot, he asks me questions about coaching, and coaches.”
“There’s a reputation out there that I’m a jerk or something like that, which hey, it is what it is, I guess. But you know since it was announced I was going to be here, I’ve heard from so many players that played for me. Players here, not just defensive backs, but linebackers and defensive linemen texted me and said how happy they are for me. I think if I was such a jerk I wouldn’t be hearing from those guys.”
On a specific Vikings player he heard from recently: “Xavier Rhodes called me probably five months ago. I was on his rear end every day about being disciplined, getting into the right footwork and all this stuff. He became a terrific player, you know? He called me and said, ‘Coach, I know how hard you were on me, but I appreciate what you’ve done for me and for my family,’ and things like that. You hear that, there’s — I was probably too hard on a lot of players. But I’ve heard it several times. It makes you feel good, and you understand you’re just trying to help them. You’re not just out to be a mean guy or something like that.”
On his coaching style: “I think these guys that saw me [in Dallas] 18 years ago, they’ve evolved. I think I’ve evolved, too, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’m demanding. I try to get the best out of players. To me, there’s a difference. I had one player who was a terrific player and you could not yell at him, you had to put your arm around him, whisper, he didn’t like to be reprimanded in front of people. And that’s what I did with him and he became a terrific player. Other players, I’d get after and you probably know some of the names, one of them was here. I’d say it to him, Pacman Jones, right? He gives me the biggest hugs now when I see him, but we’ve had our issues going back and forth. I think everybody is different. You try to hit the button however it is to make them better.”
