Mark Duffner
American football coach
35
APPEARANCES
4
PODCASTS
Nov 10, 2026
Mark DuffnerGUEST
He's not just back there to be able to direct, as you've already mentioned, some of the things he's done in terms of activity to the ball, excellent ball skills, he's physical.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
But I think he'll allow Anthony, which is so exciting for Anthony, to utilize Antonio a lot in terms of pressure and the run game and so forth.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, again, you know, there was one particular drive, I think, when we got to our 42nd point where every play, six plays, were all the running backs.
14 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And again, I think what you said earlier, the distraction, they've lost 11 of the last 13 games.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And so then with some of these moves and everything else, everybody goes, well, I guess we're giving up.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I know a number of them well, and they're going to be coaching their tails off right now to turn all those distractions into production somehow, some way.
28 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Well, once again, I think it comes down to, again, rushing coverage, working together.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And whether it's the edge guys or whether it's the internal guys, all of them right now have to pick up their game in terms of productivity, in terms of affecting the quarterback.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And then in the back end, same thing, in terms of we have to continue to be sticky in coverage.
29 MINS LATER
Joe CowartHOST
How could you change that? Because Kevin Neal is calling a bunch of design blitzes.
13 MINS LATER
19 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, you know, again, a year ago, you know, we were a heavily penalized team and, and, you know, we were able to have a 13 and 4 record in spite of it.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Uh, you know, who knows what it, what things would have occurred had we maybe limited it then.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
We started off the year real well, uh, probably in the top, uh, five of least penalized teams prior to the Cincinnati game, and I was kind of hoping that the Cincinnati game was just a, an aberration based on both teams getting highly penalized.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
But jeez, so yesterday to, to have, uh, again, you know, 13 penalties again and, and, you know, some of them were false starts, delayed games.
8 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
But when you watch where is he throwing the ball, he's not throwing between the hashes.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And when he wants to throw the go ball or deep ball, it's to his right to our left.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
So it's still going to come back to sticky coverage, rushing coverage, working together in terms of the pass attack and what we're going to do against him.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And so, uh, you know, you're gonna get stress from them throughout the ball game.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And, and by the way, we didn't get any help from, uh, a group that was officiating the game.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And, and I got to be careful what I say here, but jeez, well, Pete, I mean, I, I've never seen a game like that.
17 MINS LATER
Brian SextonHOST
They didn't know enough about Joe Burrow, and yet I said, "You guys are screwed 'cause this guy, he's built differently." Tell me about Joe in big moments.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, again, in that particular game, but I mean, he was superb, but when you looked at his, uh, senior season at LSU, my God, if anybody's had a better season and made more big plays and big moments than he did, show me.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
He works every day for those opportunities, and it's not just in, it, it is, it's not just in ball.
Brian SextonHOST
Can I ask you about Ja'Marr Chase as well? Because your, your time with the Bengals, you were around one of the best quarterbacks and also one of the best receivers.
Ryan GreenHOST
Just speak to the job that Anthony Campanelli is doing yet again with this defense.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I think Anthony and that coaching staff, again, have Payne's really gone through the game plan week after week, put together a plan that not only gives the opponent's offense headaches, but utilizes the strengths and skills of his players.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
They're doing a phenomenal job of continuing that attack as far as that's concerned.
8 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And when you give anybody time, uh, especially with the talent they had at receiver and Bo Nix's talent, uh, you know, that's gonna be trouble for you.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
So, uh, you know, we've gotta win the one-on-ones, whether it's pass rush, whether it's run blocking, block destruction, whether it's coverage.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
We've gotta present a, a, a, a s- s- situation the quarterback can't get comfortable with.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
He was too comfortable in that game, and that's what gave them the chance to, to really win the game at the end.
15 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
You don't want them to get out of control to the point where you can't do your job.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, you know, we were saying before that, okay, that Denver got embarrassed the week before.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Well, I think that probably what went on for us in the second half, maybe from about halfway through the third quarter to the end of the game was a little bit embarrassing for what this team's established as standards up to this point.
24 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
... and by the way, Trayvon Walker had six quarterback pressures in addition to, you know, his sacking the quarterback, set the edge well.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And then, then, then when he recognized the play of the interior guys, I mean, Dickerson, Hamilton, and, and Armstead, I mean, they were knocking the line back.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And then of course, the play of the two linebacker, the other linebackers, Foyer with the interception played well, but jeez, well, Pete, the game that Ventrell Miller played, when you add up the snaps and participations, I think he had 10 tackles, a sack, and, and the forced fumble.
15 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, and, and, and I mean, I ne- I don't know if I've ever seen more of a bullet than that in, in real, real life.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
You talk about a group that, you know, through training camp had different levels and different people in terms of injuries and who was going to play and who wasn't.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
When you look at what, again, you just said every offensive lineman, but the center, Robert Hainsey, either new player or in a different position, superb job.
Ryan GreenHOST
Was it Jacksonville is really good, Cleveland is really bad, equal measures of both? How do you assess Sunday?
Matt HayesHOST
Duff, explain why week one is so difficult, why it's the hardest week to win in the league.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
You just mentioned the offensive line, that mesh, those guys feeling each other, understanding who can do what and counting on guys to do what.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And then when you play a team like Cleveland right now where it's a new head coach, you're studying Baltimore film, you're looking back in his – to see what he's all about.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
They've got a new defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg, who coached in Jacksonville here with Gus Bradley.
7 MINS LATER
Joe CowartHOST
How determined will Liam be to making sure that he gets off a fair number of plays in 13?
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I'm really impressed with how Cleveland has practiced, Ezra Cleveland, the last two weeks and the joints that he's had.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, I think he's had his best, easily his best training camp practices the last two weeks, and that's where you want to be.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
You want to see those guys ascending at this time as we're getting ready for the season.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And the fact that we've got Monheim and Milam, you know, they're They probably are disappointed.
10 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Yeah, you know, and you're right, Pat, and I think that that's, once again, a tribute to the coaching staff and personnel in terms of knowing their players, but also, you know, being open to evaluation and how – How can we get better each and every day? I've been extremely impressed by James Gladstone and his staff.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
studying the availability of players, whether it be professional free agents or, as we already talked about, the college free agents through the draft.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, they are relentless in trying to get this team better each and every day.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, the offensive line ability to protect the quarterback, to establish a consistent run game that they're working real hard to get done are major factors in how good this team's going to be.
19 MINS LATER
Mike DempseyHOST
Somebody said, do you see him kind of playing like a hybrid safety linebacker role? And what are your expectations for Antonio this year?
Joe C.HOST
So let's hit at least maybe two or three things, Duff, that jumped out to you, and then we'll do the same thing with Coach Ingram.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I thought the defense had a particularly very productive day, and it started in one-on-one pass rush, the D-line against the O-line.
25 MINS LATER
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Well, shoot, what I loved, I'm staring at our defense, and I looked over and I saw him, I think it was a plus 40-yard touchdown, first snap of the daggone scrimmage on the other side of the field, our offense against the Tampa Bay Bucs defense.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
There's no way you can get around getting this team ready for ball, for game speed ball, without having some physicality.
21 MINS LATER
Joe C.HOST
Just go through it just for a second on the corrections that they were working on from some of the misses that they had Saturday afternoon.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
All the individual periods were still focused in on fundamentals, whether it was blockings, combo blocks, ball security, mat tackling, all kinds of good footwork drills and blocking drills, receivers blocking downfield.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
But as Coach Ingram said, they spent time, I think, today and yesterday going through the corrections that they had to make offensively and defensively, whether it was – Again, in the run game or in the pass game, in terms of pass protection, whether it was finishing plays, all that was done.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
And then they had some card periods where I think they were probably scripting plays that they may think they're going to see against Carolina or still install plays.
17 MINS LATER
Joe C.HOST
Now, Dup, we're going to ask both of you guys, do you think starters will play Friday night? But first, jump in on the joint, just like Coach Ingram.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
Well, I would say a couple of things first, and this is a great thing for you to pose to the listeners.
Mark DuffnerGUEST
I mean, I've watched him since the springtime, and I see a very determined, focused, hardworking, detailed player.
Matt HayesPANELIST
So what do you want to see in the Saints game, like player-specific and overall arching theme-specific?
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