Saints special teams coach Darren Rizzi talks about Rashid Shaheed being selected to the Pro Bowl and more.
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00:00 >> So what's the secret to scouting Pro Bowl returnees?
00:05 It seems to be how you do it.
00:06 >> [LAUGH] You know what?
00:08 I guess the first thing I wanna say is congratulations to Rashid.
00:13 It's a great honor for him, obviously.
00:16 I think it's extremely well deserved.
00:17 It's nice to get recognized.
00:20 The good thing about the Pro Bowl is you really get a little,
00:22 you get the fan voting, you get the coaches voting, you get the administrators,
00:24 you get players, you get a little bit of everybody kind of putting their two cents
00:27 in, so really, really happy for him.
00:31 As far as the scouting process goes, I think we've talked about that before.
00:35 Just, Shahid's a guy we looked at for a couple years and
00:39 just really saw a really good vision for the player.
00:43 And we were fortunate to get him and he's really done the rest.
00:45 I think the other thing about the Pro Bowl is, and
00:48 I said this to the guys in the meeting this morning, it's really a group honor,
00:51 in my opinion, because, especially for a returner.
00:55 In this game, you don't do anything by yourself.
00:58 And although Shahid has been dynamic with the ball in his hand,
01:03 he's got a lot of guys out there, 10 other guys have been blocking for him.
01:06 I know he thanked those guys, and so it's a really nice honor for
01:09 the whole core group, so good for him.
01:11 Really, really happy for him.
01:12 There's a human element to this game that sometimes we forget about, and
01:17 Shahid's a great person, and I'm just really, really happy for him.
01:21 His family, we've become very close.
01:24 He's become close with my family.
01:25 He's been great to my family as well, and good things happen to good people.
01:29 So it's good to see his hard work pay off, so really, really happy for him.
01:34 >> Aaron, you were also, I don't know if you saw this, NFLPA survey,
01:37 you were listed among the top five special teams coaches,
01:40 and approval rating from your own players.
01:43 Does that mean something coming from who voted on it?
01:46 >> Yeah, it does, to be honest with you.
01:50 It's really nice to be recognized by the players.
01:53 We spend an unbelievable amount of time, and
01:56 I think it's another thing that sometimes gets kinda lost in the shuffles.
01:58 We spend an inordinate amount of time with these guys, and so
02:02 the players have a different perspective on things.
02:05 I think maybe different than the public, different than the coaches,
02:08 different than maybe the front office.
02:09 So to get recognized by those guys is a tremendous honor.
02:12 To me, coaching is about teaching, and
02:19 it just tells me that I think those guys kinda value what we've done.
02:23 Obviously, we work very, very hard at it, and so to get recognized,
02:29 not only by our players, but other players around the league is a really nice honor.
02:32 So yeah.
02:33 >> Ritz, what did you sell Rashid on?
02:35 I mean, you got a guy, he comes in, he's undrafted, he can go anywhere else.
02:40 >> I got it.
02:41 >> We kinda sold him on the history.
02:44 I've been fortunate to have a couple of good returners, both here and
02:48 in Miami where I was for ten years, and
02:50 kinda sold him on the vision for what we thought he could be.
02:54 We felt like not only could he be a returner, but
02:58 we also felt like he could help us out at receiver.
03:01 So we didn't feel like he was a kind of a one-trick pony.
03:03 We felt like he could be a,
03:04 anytime you're trying to put a vision together for a player, he's kinda that,
03:10 coming in, he was kinda that ideal fourth or
03:13 fifth guy that we felt like could really help our offense and be a good returner.
03:17 He was obviously extremely productive in college.
03:21 And so we really felt like that would translate,
03:24 no different than other guys in the past.
03:26 Felt like his production would translate over.
03:28 The speed was there.
03:30 There was no doubt about that.
03:31 He stuck out on one double A or whatever they call it, the IFCS film.
03:35 And he really, really flashed.
03:38 So we sold him and his agent on really what we thought the vision for him was.
03:43 And we sold a little bit of what we had done as a special teams unit,
03:47 kinda where he fit in the big picture.
03:49 So.
03:49 >> We can look at the stats, but
03:54 could you point out maybe some characteristics that aren't as easy to see
03:58 that you thought he has done well on the defensive since he got here?
04:03 >> Yeah, I think the first thing that stands out is,
04:07 I don't know if the general fan realizes how much different the punt game is
04:11 in the NFL as it is in college.
04:13 There's a huge and drastic difference because of the rules.
04:17 That's why you see all the rugby punts and the people covering downfield.
04:20 And so a lot of times, a college returner doesn't field NFL style punts,
04:26 and the game is completely different.
04:28 And so there is definitely a transition period.
04:31 Like I said, whether it was Deade, I had Jaquem Grant,
04:34 who was a really good returner in Miami, different guys.
04:37 Those guys all have to transition from the college rules to the NFL rules.
04:42 And I think Shaheed had done a really nice job there.
04:44 He was really productive as a kicker turner in college,
04:48 maybe not as much as a punter turner.
04:49 He had good numbers, but not the numbers he's put up in the NFL.
04:52 And so I think his work ethic, one thing the fans wouldn't see is that that guy
04:56 probably catches over 100 balls a week off the jumps.
05:00 Still, not just when he got here.
05:03 I just left the indoor and he just got done catching a bunch of post practice.
05:06 He's out there, he's got the jugs out there.
05:09 Just a simple little things like that that he's put time and effort into.
05:12 I think the other thing he's done a great job of is with film studies,
05:15 studying the opponents.
05:16 Knowing who they're, what our game plan is for those particular weeks.
05:21 I think last week is a really good example.
05:22 It may not go down as a big play in the game, but he fields a ball inside the 10
05:27 and gets 12 yards, that's a first down that the offense doesn't have to get.
05:32 Just little things like that that might go under the radar.
05:35 I know he's up there in return yards in the league, combo return yard.
05:39 And so everyone sees the dynamic plays, everyone sees the 70 yard touchdowns.
05:43 And to me, he's gotten really good at making ordinary plays or
05:48 inordinary plays look ordinary.
05:49 And I think that's probably the biggest compliment I can give him.
05:53 Maybe his first year, last year, there were some balls that we didn't return.
05:57 Or maybe that we didn't field, things like that that go unnoticed.
06:00 When the ball hits the ground and rolls for 20 yards, that hidden yardage,
06:04 he's really helped our team in that aspect.
06:06 And I think that's probably got unnoticed by most.
06:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]
06:12 >> So when you were recruiting, so to speak, was it you, the point man, or
06:16 was it also- >> Yes, initially myself and
06:18 Phil Galliano, our assistant special teams coach.
06:22 We do a returner study every year in all the colleges,
06:25 all the different levels from the Power Five right on through Division Three.
06:31 We kinda look at everybody else and we kinda unearth Deontay, if you will.
06:35 And same thing with Sheen.
06:36 Now, again, I've told this story before,
06:38 Shaheed's story is a little bit unique because he decided that he had an extra year,
06:42 an extra COVID year.
06:43 So we actually thought he was coming out the year before.
06:45 So we were prepared to take him as either a late round draft pick or
06:48 a free agent the year before that.
06:50 And then he went back and ultimately tears his ACL in his last college game,
06:54 which was unfortunate for him and maybe fortunate for us in a unique and
07:00 strange way.
07:01 So, but it's all worked out.
07:02 It's been a really great marriage.
07:04 And I look for him to have a great years to come.
07:06 I think it's just the amazing thing about him is, in my opinion,
07:09 he's just scratching the surface.
07:10 I think he can even be a much better returner and a much better receiver.
07:13 And I think he's got a real, real bright future.
07:15 >> But in terms of selling him as a receiver,
07:16 was there somebody on the offensive staff doing that too?
07:19 Or were you kinda the main guy?
07:20 >> Well, I think once we had the vision for the player, I think then once we got
07:23 into the draft part of it, we had our offensive coaches watch him and
07:27 watch his big play reel and all that kind of thing.
07:30 So that's when we thought that he could really help both sides.
07:33 >> But it started at- >> It did, it started off as a returner.
07:37 It did, and we saw the vision for the player.
07:39 He made more plays, I think he got all the notice and
07:43 all the accolades for his return.
07:44 But there was some really good offensive film there too.
07:48 Interesting thing about him is, I'm sure you guys know,
07:50 is he ends up at Weaver State cuz they were the one school that told him to get all
07:54 these track scholarships and all that stuff.
07:57 Weaver State was the one school that told me to do both and play football.
08:01 So if I'm not mistaken, his family obviously has a really,
08:05 really rich track history.
08:07 His younger sister, I think, just came into Oregon for tracks there.
08:10 And his older sister is in Division I track star too.
08:12 So Weaver State was the school that told me to play football and
08:16 worked that well for them, so.