SCOUT COLE PROCTOR
(opening statement)
Coty Sensabaugh, of course he is a Tennessee boy, a DB from Dobyns-Bennett high school, one of the better programs in the state over the years. He is a quality young man; he has already graduated last August. He is a student of the game with excellent speed. Some people say well he is 1.3-year starter, but why? Well he had some good players in front of him but he was almost like a starter because he was in the nickel and dime packages when he wasn't in the base defense. He's a good special teams player. I think he's a quality young man and I think he's really going to flourish here.
SECONDARY COACH BRETT MAXIE
(on his position on the field)
No, he's done both. The first three years he was primarily their inside guy in nickel and this past season he was the full-time outside defender. He was very valuable to that program in terms of a guy who was very bright who could play inside and outside. They had so many great players to play outside and he was a great one, so they had to find a way to get him on the field. One of the ways to get him on the field quickly was to put him inside. If there was ever a need for him to play outside during a situation when he was primarily an inside defender then they felt really comfortable about him playing outside. The kid is extremely bright. Clemson does a lot of things defensively in terms of adjustments. In talking to him at the Combine he did an outstanding job telling us exactly what they did from a schematic standpoint, plus I spent some time with their defensive coordinator who spoke really highly of the kid. Their defensive background is much like Alabama and Nick Saban. It is the same system. There are a lot of moving parts and it's a multiple defense. This kid came in very early and did quite well.
(on if he will play inside or outside at cornerback)
He is going to have the opportunity to do both because we think he can do both.
ASST. SECONDARY COACH STEVE BROWN
(on his style of play)
He is a guy that we believe when you watch him on film; there are certain times he shows great instincts in what he is doing. If you had told me that he had only started for one year, I would have been shocked because he is very athletic, he runs well, he sees things well, he can do a number of things, so he adds great depth to what we are trying to do. I think he has a chance to be a really, really good player for us.
HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(on always having young defensive backs in the system ready to step in)
It helps a lot. I think we have been smart how we have done it. When we lose some players like we did this year, we didn't panic and jump out and try to fill it by signing a free agent and replace a guy because we lost a guy. I think our philosophy was that we thought we were happy with what we had in house with the young guys like you mentioned (Jason) McCourty really coming into his own and (Alterraun) Verner being here a while now and we have some young guys back. We knew in the draft if the right guy was there that is how we would answer to losing a guy. Like the coaches are saying, we just felt this is a guy that would come in right away and help us in a lot of ways between special teams and playing the nickel packages and dime packages. That is the nice thing about him when you get a guy here in the fourth round that can help us in a lot of ways.
HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(on if his versatility will create competition at different spots in the secondary)
I think that's exactly right. I think that's what's exciting is you don't have to worry about putting him in one spot. The fact that he is such a smart football player, you are not as worried about moving the guy around because he can handle it. He has already done it and been a good football player in a good system. That excites us about getting a guy right now in the fourth that can come in and help us in that way on defense. I know these guys are excited about getting with him. We all felt good that he is the one to jump on, and there he was. We feel that we got a really good football player.
SECONDARY COACH BRETT MAXIE
(on if he is as quick as he is fast)
I think speed can be utilized any place because that's something that you can't coach. He gives us flexibility. If we need him to match up outside based upon what we are doing, and his value is outside, then we will put him outside. If his value is more suited inside based on who we have outside then, absolutely, the quickness and speed will help you there. More importantly, especially when you are rushing defensive backs off the edge, you want someone to come off the edge that has some speed. He allows us to do that.
(on if he coached Coty's cousin Gerald Sensabaugh in Dallas and their similarities)
Yes I did. They played totally different positions. Gerald is an unbelievable athlete. I think he jumped 43 at the combine. He runs well, he is tough, and he is very bright and there are similarities there. Both are very bright football players and have very high football IQs. They are students of the game. They are very humble and very good men. Gerald is an exceptional person, and talking to Coty, he reminded me of Gerald in that way. Very humble, very well spoken, very genuine, a good person, and football is important to him.
HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(on if there will be competition in the secondary)
Yeah there is and I think it will be an exciting one. The young guys will be in town here in the next 10 days and have a chance to meet with the coaches for seven or eight weeks before we get to training camp. I think it's exciting for us when we have new coaches at the position and I think it excites that whole room knowing that we are kind of starting over and we are going to compete. There is a lot of opportunity and everyone is in the mix. I think it adds a lot of excitement to that room and I think it's going to be fun to watch how it unfolds. We will get a taste of that as we get through May and June and we start the OTAs and things. It definitely adds competition, which is a good thing for us as a football team.
