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The New Orleans Saints coaching staff hasn’t been able to spend any time in person with the newest additions to their roster, but they’ve done all they can to welcome rookie draft picks like former Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun into the fold.
That’s a challenge Michael Hodges has embraced, which might be even more daunting considering it’s his first year on the job. Promoted from assistant to full-time position coach after Mike Nolan left for the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator job, Hodges has made himself available to Baun and his other players as often as possible. And he’s been impressed by what the rookie has shown him.
“It’s Saturday night at 10:30 and Zack doesn’t have anything else to do so he pulls up an old teach tape,” Hodges said during a recent conference call, referencing one recent example of Baun’s work ethic, “and there’s verbiage on there that explains what we’re doing. All of a sudden he’s getting a lesson than that he wouldn’t have gotten before because maybe I wouldn’t have had the reason to do it.”
Teleconference meetings can help a lot, but there’s no replacing a classroom-style meeting where more experienced players can offer pointers and react to their newer teammates in real time: “And when (Baun) has to answer a question and he feels Demario (Davis) right there listening to him and then there is feedback throughout the room, those are things that we’re missing. But we’re getting some of that even through these calls.”
Hodges reflected on a conversation with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, saying, “We were talking about Zack and he has been an outstanding pro. For him to approach what he’s been doing the way he has. I mean, I just know we got the right guy and that (credit) goes to our scouting department. They knew all that stuff.
“When you talk about a makeup, this guy’s makeup is outstanding and then from an intelligent standpoint, man, he approaches it the right way. He invites being corrected. He’s already asked me how we’re going to schedule out the rest of the summer for meetings and so it’s been really impressive to see him.”
Baun broke out for the Badgers in his senior year, notching 12.5 sacks and 19.5 total tackles for loss in 14 games last season. While he predominately stood tight to the line of scrimmage and made his plays scrapping with blockers in the trenches, Hodges saw enough in Baun’s game tape to project him to a more-traditional role in the Saints defense.
Hodges continued, “Well, there was enough movement skills to say, this guy could play a different position besides Sam linebacker and I told Jeff (Ireland) very early in the process, when we watched him, I see Sam, Mike, boom. Like I wrote it down. It was the first note I wrote on him and really that aligned with other people’s vision as well. And it gave us the confidence to go get him where we did and Sean (Payton) agrees with it.”
Still, the rookie’s track to earning snaps is filled with hurdles. Baun has to outwork veteran starters like Alex Anzalone, Kiko Alonso, and even special teams captain Craig Robertson before he can run with Davis in the starting lineup (which typically features just two linebackers in New Orleans). That process is something Hodges expects to be cooperative. He just wishes they could get into it sooner rather than later.
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