4-time Tremendous Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who received his first with the 2007 Giants, takes a timeout to huddle with Steve Serby for some Tremendous Bowl 2025 Q&A earlier than his Chiefs face the Eagles
Q: What are your favourite New York Giants reminiscences, apart from successful Tremendous Bowl 2008?
A: Yeah, that’s a giant one. I simply benefit from the moments with the gamers, like on the sideline when Antonio Pierce when he would come over. You realize, it’d be in the course of a sport, and Michael Strahan getting the fellows all riled up, and the enjoyable that the D-line used to have with one another, and Sam Madison and the fellows (chuckle) within the secondary. I bear in mind the relationships with the gamers greater than something, and fairly frankly, nonetheless have with them immediately. I get pleasure from texting them, seeing them, due to what we shared collectively.
Q: That first Tremendous Bowl championship was not the sweetest for you?
A: Hear, they’re all fairly candy. I’m simply glad I’ve been in just a few of ’em. That one was particular as a result of it was the primary, and pay attention, it was the entire Patriot undefeated season, in order that’ll all the time be fairly particular.
Q: Is Eli Manning a Corridor of Famer?
A: I feel he’ll ultimately be in there. Two-time Tremendous Bowl champ, lots of successful there in New York — yeah he’s bought my vote.
Q: What did you consider Invoice Belichick going to North Carolina?
A: I believed it was fairly cool. I feel it’s nice for faculty soccer to have the very best coach in all of soccer, within the historical past of soccer, teaching in school. I’ll have my eye in tune to how they do, I’ll be concerned to see.
Q: Would that ever enchantment to you, teaching in school?
A: I don’t know, I’m undecided about that. I’d wish to maintain the job I bought proper now (chortle).
Q: How would you describe Patrick Mahomes’ mindset within the fourth quarter and additional time?
A: Hear, Patrick is an elite competitor. Be’s like all these elite guys, Tom Brady was the identical means, Peyton Manning. My guess is that if they have been in one other sport, they’d be the identical means, they’d be successful issues at no matter it’s — ping pong — as a result of after they get right down to crunch time, they’ve simply bought this knack of coming by means of.
Q: What is exclusive about coach Andy Reid’s relationship with Patrick?
A: Hear, they’re linked on the hip. I like the truth that Patrick respects Andy a lot as a coach and as a mentor. And I feel Andy in return respects Patrick as nicely. I watch him on Fridays, they go in Andy’s workplace collectively and sort of do a last-minute overview of the sport plan. I all the time see Patrick stroll out, he goes proper by my workplace. It’s only a good thing to see.
Q: How do you clarify their bond?
A: I feel they see the sport very related, each of them are inventive offensively, so I feel there’s some synergy there. I feel Andy places lots of belief in Patrick, and vice versa.
Q: What do you bear in mind concerning the younger Andy?
A: It was virtually like once we bought collectively there [Philadelphia] in 1999, he had been at Inexperienced Bay, had received a Tremendous Bowl. I bear in mind all the time saying this about Andy that he knew precisely get us to the place we wished to go. Like he had a plan, he had a course of, however he already had been there so all of us trusted in what he was doing.
Q: How did successful your second Tremendous Bowl, the 2019 Chiefs beating the 49ers, evaluate to successful your first?
A: After they occur, within the second they’re occurring, that’s essentially the most particular one, and that’s what you bear in mind. The one factor I do learn about these Tremendous Bowls is it’s solely an pleasant, memorable occasion for those who win the sport, as a result of in ’04 after I was with the Eagles, we went and bought beat by the Patriots, and it’s a distinct feeling.
Q: What have been the feelings like strolling off the sphere?
A: It’s an enormous downer. Greater than something you’re feeling actually, actually unhealthy for the gamers that put all the trouble all through the season and positively in that sport. As a coach and a pacesetter, that’s whenever you bought to step in there and attempt to pump them up and allow them to know, “Don’t forget, you’re still a champion, and you won a conference championship,” however it’s not simple.
Q: You received your third Tremendous Bowl with the 2022 Chiefs, over the Eagles.
A: You realize what I bear in mind concerning the third one is we gave up too many factors. As a result of that was the 38-35 one. I felt nice about successful the sport, would have felt so much higher about our efficiency if we had not given up that final landing to permit them to tie it. Gave up the 2-point conversion, after which in fact Patrick led us down there to win, thank God. However we might have favored to have carried out higher defensively.
Q: Successful your fourth one final yr, over the 49ers once more.
A: I bear in mind the problem being stopping [Christian] McCaffrey and that offense and [Brock] Purdy, after which we went to additional time, so that you’re by no means going to overlook about additional time. I didn’t need Patrick to have to return again and rating a landing, so luckily for us, we held them to a area purpose.
Q: What would you like the on-field persona of your protection to be on this Tremendous Bowl?
A: Hear, we pleasure ourselves in being aggressive and a number of, however the important thing ingredient for our guys is that we’re on level mentally. In these video games, it actually all the time often comes again to some psychological errors, or issues that you just didn’t try this you can have completed higher.
Q: Saquon Barkley, who does he remind you of?
A: Guys like Thurman Thomas, Emmitt Smith … nice imaginative and prescient working backs as a result of I feel this child’s bought nice imaginative and prescient. Wrap that into his bodily physique and his physicalness and his pace, that’s a reasonably good working again.
Q: So what do you inform your protection?
A: It comes again to basic defensive soccer. We discuss constructing a wall, setting an edge and monitoring the hip, and that takes 11 guys to do it, as a result of the constructing the wall, we’re making an attempt to not let him go proper down the center of the protection. When he bounces it exterior, you bought to set the sting and switch him again. And when he does minimize it again, that’s our monitoring the hip theme that we use, anyone’s gotta be there to satisfy him when he does minimize it again.
Q: As a defensive coordinator, do you get pleasure from moments just like the Payments sport, when Josh Allen has the ball on the finish? What goes by means of your intestine at that time?
A: We attempt to prep for these moments, after which there’s a menu and an inventory. And hopefully you’ve ready the fellows nicely sufficient, however when that occurs fairly truthfully, it doesn’t matter what you name, it comes right down to the execution by the gamers, and on that specific play you’re speaking about [a Nick Bolton sack of Allen on fourth down to seal the win], they executed it completely.
Q: Aren’t you nervous in any respect?
A: It’s anxious. … I let you know what, in numerous moments with Nick Bolton, I often have a few ideas in thoughts, ’trigger I can discuss to him and I’ll say, “What do you think about this?” And, “Which one of these?” And he can sign to me. I exploit him for enter in that, too. Did the identical factor on this one, and did it a yr in the past within the San Francisco sport. And when he nods and says, “Yeah go with that one,” I really feel higher about calling it.
Q: What separates Chris Jones?
A: He’s bought God-gifted expertise that lots of different individuals don’t have. He’s a extremely clever soccer participant, I don’t assume individuals know that sufficient about him — like he sees issues, he picks up on issues. He doesn’t come throughout that means, and he’s a enjoyable man to be round. All that wrapped up in a single makes him who he’s.
Q: George Karlaftis?
A: We bought George at 21 years outdated and he’s only a pet. To simply see him develop into the person that he has and he’s enjoying higher … he’s terrific at taking teaching. He’ll sit there and pay attention, he’s intrigued and embraces the whole lot we do.
Q: Trent McDuffie?
A: We bought him at 22 years outdated, and he was like 22 occurring 35. He was essentially the most mature 22-year-old I’ve been round. It reveals up in his play. We ask him to do lots of various things and he does all of them very well.
Q: Describe dealing with Jalen Hurts within the 2023 Tremendous Bowl.
A: I believed he was phenomenal in opposition to us. I imply, he made two or three clutch throws, two I can bear in mind to the tight finish. He demanded our respect on that day, and I’ve given it to him ever since. It’ll be the identical means on this sport. He’s legit. … Individuals say that he can’t do that, can’t try this. Anytime I’ve gone in opposition to him, he operates that offense actually effectively, and when he’s throwing the soccer, he’s throwing the ball on a dime.
Q: How do you cope with the Tush Push?
A: I don’t have a solution for that one (chortle). I can’t determine that out. Hope they go offside, I assume, Or don’t get in third-and-1.
Q: Ideas on Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio?
A: I bought lots of respect for Vic. We by no means labored collectively, we’ve talked on the telephone and seen one another at combines and whatnot. We’ve mutual mates, and so they converse extremely of Vic as a result of they labored with him. I simply assume he does a terrific job.
Q: What’s one intangible trait this crew possesses that has enabled it to do what it’s completed?
A: Steadfast. Proper by means of Andy Reid, it filters by means of the entire teaching employees and gamers. They’re unwavering in these moments the place it will get actually intense, which that’s what this sport is, and so they discover a option to win led by Patrick and a bunch of these different veteran leaders.
Q: How does Travis Kelce get open so typically?
A: I simply assume he’s bought a nifty knack for sliding and bobbing and weaving, and Patrick is aware of precisely what he’s gong to do as a result of they’ve been collectively for therefore lengthy.
Q: What was your favourite Tremendous Bowl to observe as a child?
A: Effectively, I grew up a Patriots fan. Those (chortle) they have been in after I was fan, they didn’t do nicely in. [The 1985 Patriots] performed Chicago and bought beat unhealthy in that one [46-10 in Super Bowl XX]. They sort of all clump collectively. I bear in mind when Buffalo went on their run, I do know they didn’t win it. And all the time the groups just like the San Franciscos and the dynasties like Dallas, I simply loved watching the sport.
Q: What’s your Tremendous Bowl game-day routine?
A: We’ve performed lots of later video games on Sundays (chortle), when you might have Patrick Mahomes, you get these time slots. However now we have a walkthrough within the morning, which is nice to get the gamers off their toes, after which it’s get on the primary bus and recover from to the stadium.
Q: What is going to you be pondering on that first bus?
A: I attempt to embrace it somewhat bit … attempt to take a deep breath, get pleasure from what’s occurring round you. After which after I get there, I often take one fast stroll across the area earlier than I modify. I sort of hunker down, get in my little world, and I’m simply frequently reviewing the sport plan, give you some preliminary ideas. After which earlier than you understand it, the three hours are gone.
Q: How about whenever you stroll out into the stadium for the primary time?
A: There’s lots of time from the time you stroll on the market until we truly kick the ball off, so don’t deplete an excessive amount of vitality. We inform the gamers that, too. We most likely go over and sit down on the bench as a result of there’s lots of exercise earlier than a Tremendous Bowl, with the songs they sing and all of the introductions, so that you sort of take a deep breath and don’t gear your self up too quickly, gamers and coaches. So there’s lots of deep breaths taken there at the moment.
Q: Do you go searching throughout the nationwide anthem?
A: I’d be sincere with you, I’m often praying throughout the nationwide anthem (chortle), in order that’s my factor. I’m not right here if it’s not for God, and I’m all the time thanking him, I’m speaking to him all the time all through the sport, in order that’s sort of my ritual.
Q: What do you pray for?
A: I pray for the well being of the gamers greater than something. I’m often grateful in the course of that prayer for being in that second, for the nice Lord bringing me there, as a result of I always remember that.
Q: It by no means will get outdated coming to the Tremendous Bowl and successful it, does it?
A: No, I don’t assume anyone would ever say it will get outdated. Simply blessed to be in it. I imply, it’s an exceptional factor, and I’ve been blessed to be round good individuals, and now we have quarterback.
Q: If you first began in soccer, might you ever have imagined a profession like this?
A: My goals by no means went this far. I went to Springfield Faculty to be a phys. ed. trainer to return to Grafton [Mass.] Excessive College, coach highschool soccer and educate … science or phys. ed. or no matter (chuckle), and my goals didn’t go this far. I’m simply blessed to be in the course of it.
Q: What would you want your soccer legacy to be?
A: I bought in it to be a trainer, to be a mentor, so I’m hoping when it’s all stated and completed that you just’ve affected some guys positively, not simply as gamers however as males, too. I definitely attempt to try this as a lot as I can in conferences and with gamers. They want that, this youthful technology wants that. Fairly frankly, I feel the world and the nation wants good, sturdy character males.
Q: Steve Spagnuolo Corridor of Fame?
A: That’s past even my pondering. I’m simply making an attempt to win this sport proper right here (chortle).
