A couple of Sundays ago, as I recovered from the 2nd Annual Bernie’s Insiders Draft
Day Bash, I was lucky enough to get a chance to speak with new Browns defensive
tackle Jason Fisk. Fisk was signed away from San Diego to man the nose guard
position in Romeo Crennel’s 3-4 defense, and was nice enough to speak with us
for over an hour as he drove back into Cleveland to prepare for workouts at
Berea this week. The conversation was enlightening, and will be featured in the
next issue of Bernie’s Insiders The Magazine, which will hit the stands and your
mailboxes in a couple of weeks.
Below are some excerpts from my conversation with Jason, and be sure to catch
the entire interview in the next issue of the magazine.
Swerb: “Jason, thanks for taking the time out for us.”
Fisk: “No problem, I’m happy to do it. Just driving back to Cleveland from
Chicago for workouts this week.”
Swerb: “Welcome to Cleveland. You have to be excited, getting another chance
to start at age 32, and coming in here to man the middle of our new 3-4
defense.”
Fisk: “Oh it is, yes. It’s a great opportunity to get back into a starting
role, and come in with a team that is in the process of turning things around.
I’m looking forward to getting back on top.”
Swerb: “What other teams showed interest in you in free agency, and what were
the main factors in your decision to come here?”
Fisk: “I visited here, and also in New Orleans and San Francisco. All three
teams had pretty significant interest. The opportunity to go into a starting
role here was very significant, and I just had a really good feeling about the
whole environment here in Cleveland.”
Swerb: “How did your initial conversation with Phil Savage go?”
Fisk: “He talked about his philosophy of trying to bring in character guys,
good quality people into the organization, and that I would fit that role pretty
well. He talked about our situation in San Diego last season, having success in
a 3-4 with quality people, and our turnaround there. Phil Savage really knows
what he’s doing. It is impossible to come away anything but impressed whenever
you talk to that man. He has a very clear concept of how he wants this team to
look and he’s going to get it there.”
Swerb: “Have you been out to Berea yet? Or are you just now starting
workouts?”
Fisk: “I’ve been out there. I’m still in transition, going back and forth
between there and San Diego ... trying to get the family situated. I’ve made
just about every one, missed just a couple. I’ve been out there since late
March, getting the base laid, the foundation laid for the season to come.”
Swerb: “Have there been a lot of guys there early for these voluntary
workouts?”
Fisk: “There has. It’s been really impressive. Rarely do you see this type of
participation, especially in areas with cold winter weather. Usually guys go
home, then don’t come back until the first mini-camps. It’s been a great start,
a chance to build camaraderie when you have a lot of guys participating, and you
need that to help carry you through a long season. It’s been great to see so
many guys at these workouts.”
Swerb: “Amazingly, you have only missed two games in ten years of playing in
this league, which defies logic for a guy in the trenches on every play. What's
the secret?”
Fisk: “I think genetics definitely factors in there. I’ve been lucky to feel
well, and I stay limbered up so I don’t break. The key is putting your work in
during the off-season and preparing your body for the regular season. There are
a lot of guys that put a lot more effort into that than others, and I’ve always
been very diligent in doing whatever it takes to put myself in the best physical
shape possible. I’m sure that has something to do with it too. And a little
bit of luck too.”
Swerb: “San Diego last year decided to switch to a 3-4 defense based on the
personnel. How were you guys able to experience so much success so soon in a
new defensive approach?”
Fisk: “Wade Phillips started putting in the 3-4 in mini camps, and they wanted
to keep it flexible as far as maybe being a multiple front defense. The
personnel worked out great for us, and had some linebackers come in and do a
great job. It was very effective for us, and we didn’t do too much stuff that
was very elaborate. We played well, and we played well together, and it made
for a pretty good defense.”
Swerb: “Generally speaking, in your view, what are the biggest keys to
excelling as a 3-4 defense?”
Fisk: “Controlling the run game and discipline. You’ve got three guys up front
trying to hold the point and make a wall for the offense to run in to. And if
you have breakdowns, or players trying to do their own thing, or free lance ...
it puts pressure on the rest of the team to compensate. It’s really a
discipline based defense, and that's what makes it go. If not, it breaks down
pretty quick.”
Swerb: “An argument often used by 3-4 enthusiasts is that it is a conceptually
better defense because it is easier for a 3-4 team to still play 4-3 sets in
certain spots than it is for a 4-3 team to slip into 3-4 sets. Is that a valid
argument?”
Fisk: “Yes. Most ends in the league are not used to dropping into zone
coverage, pr picking up a tight end man to man. Sometimes 4-3 teams will try
it, but you’re right, it’s not as effective as 3-4 teams giving 4-3 looks. It’s
definitely a more versatile defense in that regard, and the popularity of the
short throwing game right now is at an all-time high ... it seems like that's
all teams use. The 3-4 is better at ruining the timing of the short passing
game, it’s easier to disguise things, and I really believe it’s a more effective
defense for today’s game.”
Swerb: “A lot of fans have looked to the 2004 Chargers as the model for what we
want to do in 2004. Everyone had predicted that team would finish in the
basement, they were coming off a rough season, they switched to a 3-4 defense,
and had a lot of problems on the offensive line the year prior. There are
really a lot of parallels.”
Fisk: “There really are. It shows how quick things can be turned around in
this league, and even in my brief time with the team, I see a lot of
similarities between the two teams.”
Swerb: “Did you have a chance to watch any of the draft this weekend?”
Fisk: “A little bit. I can only handle so much of those analysts. It seems
like they’re never right.”
Swerb: “Just looking at my television real quick, the Browns have just taken
Andrew Hoffman, a 3-4 nose tackle from Virginia in round six with the pick
acquired from Tampa for Luke McCown. Are you surprised that the team did not
address the depth of the defensive line until now?”
Fisk: “Not too much. We have some guys that are looking great early, and could
be great contributors as reserve. I look forward to working with the new kid as
well.”
Swerb: “Jason, thanks again for doing this with us. Best of luck with
everything this season, and I’ll check back in this summer before camp.”
Fisk: “Sounds good. I’m really looking forward to this season, and getting
this thing pointed in the right direction.”
Rich Swerbinsky
swerb@berniesinsiders.com