Falcons offensive line coach Chris Morgan, who was named the offensive line coach of the year by analytics site, recently spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the upcoming season.
Morgan, an understudy of respected Seattle assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable, was charged with molding together a unit that featured four new full-time starters and left tackle Jake Matthews last season.
Here’s what Morgan had to say about his unit:
Q: How was the offseason for the offensive line?
A: Good. Really good. They worked really hard. They are worked really hard to develop their style of play. The standard that those guys created and set. It's fun….They have a clear vision of what they want to be."
Q: How’s Alex Mack looking for you?
A: It's going well. Alex brings a lot of experience. He's played a lot of ball. He brings toughness. He's a really smart and vocal guy. He's been really good. He's done a really good job.
Q: Are you worried about (Andy) Levitre’s penalties? Is that something that can be coached out of him?
A: I can definitely be a bigger part of that, you know what I mean and help with that. But Andy played his (butt) off last year. But that's some thing that all of us can improve on, not just Andy.
Q: What’s the plan at right guard?
A: There will always be competition. There are some guys competing. It's a cool deal. There is a cool mix of competition. We are looking at everybody. Mike (Person's) done a good job over there. (Chris) Chester has played. Tom Compton has repped over there. Wes Schweitzer has repped over there. It's not just those guys either. We are going to play the best five for sure. It's always about the completion.
Q: What has Schweitzer shown you guys so far?
A: We don't have the pads on yet, but he's shown some really good toughness. We've moved him around early. He's played left guard. He's played right guard. He's played center. He's never done that before. He's shown that nothing is too big for him right now. He's been a flexible player. He's seeing stuff on the move. Being able to adjust and he has good mental quickness. All of that.
Q: Did (assistant offensive coach) Keith Carter have a good recommendation on Schweitzer?
A: Yeah. Keith coached him two years ago (at San Jose State). We knew a lot of about him. We knew about the toughness that he brought and the intensity and how important football is important to him. We knew what kind of teammate he was. We knew all those things and we're excited to add him to the mix.
Q: What can the unit do better in ’16?
A: You know, we have to continue to grow. Continue to develop our style of play. We should have a better understanding of that in Year Two.
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