Kevin Patullo

With getting the ball, you had one completion, a completed pass of 10 yards. With that, do you want QB Jalen Hurts to force more things down the field or is it all about just letting the game come to him? How do you balance all that? (Reuben Frank)

Kevin Patullo: I think when you’re game planning and stuff like that, it’s all about just seeing what’s happening and letting him play and be efficient. Each game is different going into it. You think you’re going to get one thing, you may get another. So in-game, you’ve got to make those adjustments and just let it play out, so you don’t ever want to stress anything like that too, too much because then you can create bad habits, obviously. We were pretty efficient for the most part and he did a good job.

You really just want to look at how do we stay on track and advance the ball and do what we need to. As long as that continues, that’s kind of the goal. But obviously, if you do get an opportunity, we’d love to take that.

Do you feel like you ran too much into heavy boxes? (Jeff McLane)

Kevin Patullo: It’s funny, not really. When you look at it situationally– we went back and did some self-scouting stuff. It wasn’t that we ran into heavy boxes. I think that time situationally, there was a run called, and when you look at the coverage that we were given, they were kind of messing around with some stuff that appeared to be a little bit of a heavy box and we didn’t always block it properly. We’ve just got to continue to work on that.

When you look at just kind of the calls with how the flow of the game was going for the most part, obviously in the first couple drives we had a good flow as far as the run-pass mix and kind of continued with that. I wouldn’t say we definitely knew exactly every play what was going to happen. So it was a good mix for the most part.

What led to the lack of targets for WR A.J. Brown? (Dave Zangaro)

Kevin Patullo: When you game plan, obviously the number one guy is going to be A.J., [WR] DeVonta [Smith], [TE] Dallas [Goedert]. In the pass game, they’re going to get the targets. Going in, we had a fair share of things that were going to go to him as the primary, and sometimes games play out like that and that’s kind of how it was.

To the previous question, we don’t ever want to force it. If it’s one of those games where you’re trying not to force it and you’re being productive and you’re staying on track, the guys understand. He played his butt off, too. He knew what was going on and just the way it was, and then we were moving the ball and being efficient.

I think when you look at it, you always put that in mind when you start the game plan. Like this week, ‘Hey, he’s the guy, this is where we want to go with it.’ Once the game starts to unfold, you just kind of play it accordingly.

I know you weren’t the OC last year, but in the Super Bowl, this team did a good job of shutting RB Saquon Barkley down. Have you learned anything from that? Do you watch that? Study that at all? I know it’s a different team. (Ed Kracz)

Kevin Patullo: It’s been a big part of this week and just kind of preparing for them again. [Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] Spags does such a great job just overall throughout the years of taking away what you do best. We’ve had to be creative and I think we’re on a right track right now to be creative with the game plan and kind of get that going.

You mentioned the efficiency part of it. What’s the balancing act of when you talk about WR A.J. Brown sort of manufacturing a touch versus, ‘Alright, we’re being efficient so maybe we don’t need to do that?’ (John McMullen)

Kevin Patullo: When you’re balancing it, it’s really like, ‘What’s the opportunity,’ or, ‘Is it a first-down thing or a second-down thing? Is there a down that presents itself where we can get that done?’ If we’re behind the chains, then all of a sudden you’re going to want the full field reads potentially. If you’re staying in-phase and you get a nice first-down run and you’re manageable on second-down, maybe you can afford to take that opportunity to say, ‘Hey, we’re going all in on this thing.’ I think it’s finding that down if you get one to kind of take an opportunity to manufacture something like that if you can.

What was the first game like for you overall? What was the biggest takeaway? (Tim McManus)

Kevin Patullo: Good. I thought the communication from all the coaches on the sideline and in the box was great. The communication with the players and all of us was really, really good. Jalen was good on the sideline, the O Line was good, Saquon, all the guys were really good. The receivers were into it. They understood what they were seeing and what they were feeling.

The biggest takeaway I think was, the communication was good which is what we’re going to need going forward, but just the in game adjustments, being able to kind of get through all that. Overall, I think it was the right step in the right direction, and obviously there’s always things that you want to continue to look at, ‘Hey, how do we get better?’ I think we did a good job of just talking about that as a staff and with the players on Monday after we watched the film.

QB Jalen Hurts talked about being, at times, a little more proactive, was his takeaway. How do you interpret that? (Tim McManus)

Kevin Patullo: I think he’s just more comfortable. When you look at it, just another year kind of going against defenses and seeing things and understanding what he’s seeing, and just being able to communicate it with guys. Like I said, I’ve been around him for a while. We’ve talked about that before. I think that just kind of felt more natural to him and he did a good job.

[Regarding acquiring RB Tank Bigsby.]

Kevin Patullo: He’s a dynamic player and he’s going to add depth to our roster. I think he can make some plays for us offensively and we can use him in different ways.

The FB Ben VanSumeren packages, are they out now or can TE Kylen Granson fill that role? (Zach Berman)

Kevin Patullo: He can fill that role, and [TE] Cam Latu, he can fill that role as well. We have guys that can definitely fill that role and I think it’s something we can continue to do.

Percentage-wise, you used it more than in any game last year. Did you expect that going in to the Cowboys game? What do you like about what that package offers? (Brooks Kubena)

Kevin Patullo: I wouldn’t say I expected it. It just kind of unfolded itself. We had the one explosive to Saquon on the perimeter, and it just kind was something that appeared throughout the game, and then late in the game, we used it in a few sets, too, in that four-minute mode. It really wasn’t something like in the middle of the game that we were doing, it just kind of happened naturally.

OL Brett Toth had to play 11 snaps, I think. First, is there any concern over G Landon Dickerson’s back? Secondly, you have been here five years, how have you seen Toth develop to be that first guy up? (Ed Kracz)

Kevin Patullo: Brett Toth does a great job of being available and ready for anything, whether it’s center, whether it’s guard, if we ever need him at tackle, he can do it all. That’s the biggest thing, a guy that can step in there mentally and know what to do, you feel comfortable with. I know Landon’s going to be ready if he’s ready and we’ll see where that’s at. But Brett does a good job of just feeling like, ‘Hey coach, whatever you need, I got you. I can play all these positions.’ That’s very important in-game when you have to sometimes juggle guys with injuries.

Back to RB Saquon Barkley, you mentioned how you guys might need to get creative with that going into Kansas City, but it’s like two games in a row now where he has been held to like three yards per carry. Going back to the Super Bowl, like how much do you go over stuff with Saquon? How much do you guys collaborate on that as far as finding ways to be creative and get him in space more? (Martin Frank)

Kevin Patullo: I think as far as him and I and our communication each week, he and I talk a lot about, ‘Hey, here’s the plan, here’s what we’re looking to do, here’s some new wrinkles,’ and just see what he sees, too. He watches a lot of film and I think that’s been really good. Even last week, even during in-game, he was really good to talk to on the sideline, ‘Here’s what I’m feeling and seeing.’ Even in the past, him and I have had a pretty good dialogue in games with finding key runs when we need him.

In the playoffs, that appeared a few times where him and I had some good dialogue with the O Line. When you’re putting in stuff early in the week, it’s easy to talk through that and as the week goes, they get a feel for what you’re looking at. As far as when you put plans together, like [Tight Ends Coach] Jason Michael and [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland] Stout and [Offensive Quality Control Coach] Eric Dickerson and [Assistant Offensive Line Coach] Greg [Austin] and all those guys do a really good job of working through all the runs with myself and really figuring out, ‘Hey, here’s what could be an issue. Here’s what we need to figure out. This is good versus this and vice versa.’ So when you’re able to explain it to the players, they get a better feel for the plan and what’s going to happen and then the adjustments off of it in game.

What do you think about the blitz pickup from the running back position? (Jeff McLane)

Kevin Patullo: I think that the first game, some of that appeared to be like, ‘Hey, this is the first time we’ve seen this. We need to just work through it.’ I watched a lot of football obviously this weekend, I think that was a constant if you look around the league, just people diagnosing different things on defense because it’s the first time you’ve gone against a defense and the speed and what you see things and pick it up.

Obviously, we did some good and there’s some things we want to correct, but overall, I think it’s just going to be a work in progress. That’s one of the things when you’re going against your defense in camp like we did for so long and you see something new for the first time, it gives you a little bit of like, ‘Oh, that’s what that looks like and feels like.’ Again, you’ve got to get back in the swing of it a little bit.

How tough is it to get back in a rhythm after an hour delay like you had? (Reuben Frank)

Kevin Patullo: That was interesting. We were joking a little bit after the game, it was longer than the Super Bowl halftime and there was no structure to it. It was like, ‘Well, how long is this? How long do we have?’ So it was a little bit different, and we had so much momentum at that point, too. That’s where that was a little bit frustrating. We just got the turnover, we were ready to go. The first three drives went up and down the field. Then we got the next field goal and the next drive.

We felt like we were in a good rhythm, and then you sit for a while and wait and wait. That’s where it was a little challenging, the kind of just sit and wait and get back in the flow of things. Then it felt funny after that. I think the Cowboys experienced the same thing a little bit offensively where the defensive guys just came out and played.

How do you view the QB Jalen Hurts scrambles when you look back at them? They’re obviously successful plays, but it doesn’t happen within the structure of what you planned. (Dave Zangaro)

Kevin Patullo: Well, sometimes a scramble happens for a couple of reasons. Sometimes it’s protection, sometimes it’s because a read is taken away, or sometimes, as a quarterback, and every quarterback is different, but if he feels a void in there and he can go get it, go get it. I mean, first downs are first down. You really don’t have to worry too much about it. He’s really good about knowing when to scramble. Sometimes it’s just the route didn’t match up or something happened and it broke down. He just has a sense of, ‘Hey, this is my chance to get out. It’s a four man rush. I’m out and I get a first down.’

I think each one you look at independently. Was it a mistake we made on offense? Was it a scheme thing? Was it a route breakdown? Did somebody have a missed assignment? What caused it? Sometimes guys are open, but you take off and you get a first down. It’s all good. First downs a first down.

What makes him so good at avoiding splatter hits? (Jeff McLane)

Kevin Patullo: He does a good job of, I think of just feeling and knowing where defenders are. If you watch him in space, he’s really, really unique and able to make the first guy miss and kind of get his body in a position to know where the next guy is. That’s unique. I’ve been around some other guys, they get hit hard when they’re running, and he does a really, really good job of just kind of being in space and making the first guy miss and knowing what’s around him. He’s got a very different feel, almost a running back-ish feel. There’s been some skill guys I’ve been around, too, that have a really good feel for not getting hit, too. He’s one of those guys that definitely has that gift.

Where does that awareness come from? (Brooks Kubena)

Kevin Patullo: I think some guys just have a sense of where people are at at all times. So if I’m running at you and I know somebody’s coming from the side, I make the first guy miss, he’s coming from the side and then I know I’m going to get hit this way. I think some guys– just vision on a basketball court, it’s a similar thing. You just have a feel for where defenders are and they know where we’re at. I mean you look at Saquon for example, in space. Some of the moves he made the other night were dynamic, right? Some guys just have that natural ability.

QB Jalen Hurts each of the last few years has talked about using the early part of the season to find the offensive identity. How much have the last couple days, you mentioned the self-scouting process, helped in figuring out what the offense can lean on? (EJ Smith)

Kevin Patullo: Well, I think it’s just game one, so we just kind of have to wait it out a little bit. I think overall, just getting back in the swing of things and getting the feel for game planning and watching tape and an opponent of what they do and being familiar with it in in-game adjustments. That’s the biggest thing I think that you could be conscious of as a player, kind of feeling the season out and feeling what the identity of the offense is. Then from there, I think you just feel comfortable with suggestions and answers and, ‘Oh, okay, they’re doing this, we’re going to get to this.’ I think it does take some time a little bit.

You said last week the scripts have different purposes. What was the objective? (Zach Berman)

Kevin Patullo: The first drive was not scripted. It was a little more of what was happening and what we were getting and kind of challenging them a little bit versus what we were seeing. Really every drive is a little bit different. Sometimes we’re trying to see what they’re doing, sometimes you get a feel for what they’re doing rather quickly. I think it was a little bit of a balance of both, and we were able to kind of see what was going on and kind of plan the next couple of things from there.