Q and A with quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I initially met Ken when I got traded to the Washington Redskins and we were roommates at training camp when I first got there. He used to throw shoes at me because I snored so much. I would wake up in the morning and there would be all of these shoes around my bed. Then our wives connected because when my wife flew in, Alice (Ken’s wife) picked her up from the airport and they had an instant connection. Then Ken went on to play his last year in the pros with the Jets and then when I was called about coaching at Vanderbilt I called Ken immediately. One thing led to another and we ended up going to Vanderbilt coaching together and then he moved on to pro ball and has done very well obviously. Then we’ve stayed in touch the whole way through.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You have spent the past five years at an all boys high school in Nashville? What made you decide to make a move? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It is kind of a route I chose to take. When we all were fired at Vanderbilt I turned down the opportunity to go to Virginia as offensive coordinator and it was a decision my wife and I had to make. At that point we decided we wanted to stay in Nashville and the MBA (Montgomery Bell Academy) job came open and we made the decision to stay. It was a great opportunity to influence young men and that was one of the attractions to me, that you could influence kids. I didn’t think I’d ever coach on that level, but it came to the point where after five years I decided it was time to move on and I resigned not knowing any of this was getting ready to happen. Then I knew Ken would probably have an opportunity and we talked and I told him I’d be very interested in coaching with him. We talked a number of times and then he offered me the opportunity. I’m thrilled to be a part of this staff and work with Ken again.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How do you feel your 14 year career as a player in the NFL has influenced the way you approach the game as a coach? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I was a back up pretty much all 14 years and I was one of these guys that had to be ready to play at any time, without getting a lot of reps. I’ve played under a lot of great coaches and discipline is something I think I have learned from all of them. At the quarterback position you have to be the hardest working guy, the toughest guy, and the leader. People look up to you and expect a lot out of you. That is why you get paid the big bucks and there is a lot of expectations out of that position. The fact that I’ve played I think will certainly be an asset to Matt, Kurt and John. I look back to when I played and there are things that I don’t think got coached enough. Talking about the little things and the fundamentals sometimes gets overlooked at this level, so hopefully I can continually improve those guys.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How would describe yourself as a coach and your demeanor on the field? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I’m a very demanding guy but I’m not a screamer, I don’t cuss, but I expect a lot out of the quarterbacks. You better be the hardest working guys on the football team because guys are looking up to you and you have to be a leader. Not saying there aren’t other leaders, but once you get in the huddle the quarterback has to take charge. That is how I try to coach. I try to lead by example and be prepared.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How excited are you to work with players like Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Obviously when this opportunity presented itself I thought you couldn’t go into a better situation. Matt is a great quarterback and to have the success he had at USC, and then you have Kurt who has had a lot of success in this league. His story and what kind of person he is to others is great. I’m very fortunate to come into this situation. I’ve talked to both of the guys andI’m really looking forward to getting to know those guys better.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With the coaching staff finally complete, you guys are moving into the next phase of going to the Combine, free agency and then preparing for the first mini camp and the draft. How excited are you to go through this offseason process? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“This is all new to me. Other than Kevin Spencer, I’m the next eldest on the staff, but I’m kind of the rookie because I haven’t coached at this level. I’m was excited about going to the Combine. It was my first Combine because when I played they didn’t have a Combine, so it was new to me. That is the fun part, getting to learn this whole process. There are obviously some nerves on my part but the staff that Ken has put together has been great to me and they have made me feel very welcome.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How are you adjusting to the transition from Nashville to Arizona and re-joining the pro ranks? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The biggest transition is being by myself for a while. My wife is not here yet and my kids are all married, but I came into this situation knowing a lot of the coaches already. I played with Maurice (Carthon), I played with Russ (Grimm), I played with Ken (Whisenhunt) and I coached with Ron Aiken so I’m very fortunate coming into this situation. It has made the transition very comfortable. Plus I lived in California for several years while I played so I find things out here very similar so that has also made the transition a little easier.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Do you feel this staff has a little bit of an advantage over some of the other new staffs around the league because of your familiarity with each other? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I think feeling comfortable with your head coach, feeling like you can go to him and talk to him is a huge plus. It is no different as a player. I think the players will see that with this staff and we have to get the attitude that we are going to turn this thing around. We have the talent here to win and that is what we are going to do. It is going to come through hard work and I know what the demand will be. It will be intense but it will be a good intense.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
You must be registered for see images
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Q and A with quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Kate Brandt[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]azcardinals.com[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]azcardinals.com[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jeff Rutledge enters his first season with the Cardinals and is a 14-year NFL veteran as a quarterback for three different teams (LA Rams 1979-81, New York Giants 1983-89, Washington Redskins 1990-92). He began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Vanderbilt University from 1995-99 before moving to Nashville’s Bell Academy in 2002, where he spent the last five seasons as the head coach. Recently azcardinals.com sat down with Rutledge to catch his thoughts on his first NFL coaching job…[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You have known Coach Whisenhunt for long time. Can you give us the background of where you two first met and how you’ve stayed in touch over the years? [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I initially met Ken when I got traded to the Washington Redskins and we were roommates at training camp when I first got there. He used to throw shoes at me because I snored so much. I would wake up in the morning and there would be all of these shoes around my bed. Then our wives connected because when my wife flew in, Alice (Ken’s wife) picked her up from the airport and they had an instant connection. Then Ken went on to play his last year in the pros with the Jets and then when I was called about coaching at Vanderbilt I called Ken immediately. One thing led to another and we ended up going to Vanderbilt coaching together and then he moved on to pro ball and has done very well obviously. Then we’ve stayed in touch the whole way through.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You have spent the past five years at an all boys high school in Nashville? What made you decide to make a move? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It is kind of a route I chose to take. When we all were fired at Vanderbilt I turned down the opportunity to go to Virginia as offensive coordinator and it was a decision my wife and I had to make. At that point we decided we wanted to stay in Nashville and the MBA (Montgomery Bell Academy) job came open and we made the decision to stay. It was a great opportunity to influence young men and that was one of the attractions to me, that you could influence kids. I didn’t think I’d ever coach on that level, but it came to the point where after five years I decided it was time to move on and I resigned not knowing any of this was getting ready to happen. Then I knew Ken would probably have an opportunity and we talked and I told him I’d be very interested in coaching with him. We talked a number of times and then he offered me the opportunity. I’m thrilled to be a part of this staff and work with Ken again.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How do you feel your 14 year career as a player in the NFL has influenced the way you approach the game as a coach? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I was a back up pretty much all 14 years and I was one of these guys that had to be ready to play at any time, without getting a lot of reps. I’ve played under a lot of great coaches and discipline is something I think I have learned from all of them. At the quarterback position you have to be the hardest working guy, the toughest guy, and the leader. People look up to you and expect a lot out of you. That is why you get paid the big bucks and there is a lot of expectations out of that position. The fact that I’ve played I think will certainly be an asset to Matt, Kurt and John. I look back to when I played and there are things that I don’t think got coached enough. Talking about the little things and the fundamentals sometimes gets overlooked at this level, so hopefully I can continually improve those guys.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How would describe yourself as a coach and your demeanor on the field? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I’m a very demanding guy but I’m not a screamer, I don’t cuss, but I expect a lot out of the quarterbacks. You better be the hardest working guys on the football team because guys are looking up to you and you have to be a leader. Not saying there aren’t other leaders, but once you get in the huddle the quarterback has to take charge. That is how I try to coach. I try to lead by example and be prepared.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How excited are you to work with players like Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Obviously when this opportunity presented itself I thought you couldn’t go into a better situation. Matt is a great quarterback and to have the success he had at USC, and then you have Kurt who has had a lot of success in this league. His story and what kind of person he is to others is great. I’m very fortunate to come into this situation. I’ve talked to both of the guys andI’m really looking forward to getting to know those guys better.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With the coaching staff finally complete, you guys are moving into the next phase of going to the Combine, free agency and then preparing for the first mini camp and the draft. How excited are you to go through this offseason process? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“This is all new to me. Other than Kevin Spencer, I’m the next eldest on the staff, but I’m kind of the rookie because I haven’t coached at this level. I’m was excited about going to the Combine. It was my first Combine because when I played they didn’t have a Combine, so it was new to me. That is the fun part, getting to learn this whole process. There are obviously some nerves on my part but the staff that Ken has put together has been great to me and they have made me feel very welcome.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How are you adjusting to the transition from Nashville to Arizona and re-joining the pro ranks? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The biggest transition is being by myself for a while. My wife is not here yet and my kids are all married, but I came into this situation knowing a lot of the coaches already. I played with Maurice (Carthon), I played with Russ (Grimm), I played with Ken (Whisenhunt) and I coached with Ron Aiken so I’m very fortunate coming into this situation. It has made the transition very comfortable. Plus I lived in California for several years while I played so I find things out here very similar so that has also made the transition a little easier.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Do you feel this staff has a little bit of an advantage over some of the other new staffs around the league because of your familiarity with each other? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I think feeling comfortable with your head coach, feeling like you can go to him and talk to him is a huge plus. It is no different as a player. I think the players will see that with this staff and we have to get the attitude that we are going to turn this thing around. We have the talent here to win and that is what we are going to do. It is going to come through hard work and I know what the demand will be. It will be intense but it will be a good intense.” [/FONT]
Last edited:
