It’s been a whirlwind week for Mike McCoy. Just a few days after being named the newest head coach for the Chargers, he was in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl. While there to evaluate some of the top collegiate prospects, McCoy was extremely busy rounding out his coaching staff. Still, he found time out of his busy schedule to sit down for an exclusive interview with Chargers.com to give us a sneak peek into what his first week as head coach has been like.
Here is what he had to say.
Chargers.com: So overall, how’s it been going for you down at the Senior Bowl?
McCoy: Well it’s been busy. We’ve been trying to number one, finalize our staff which we are very close to doing, and number two, evaluate the players that are here coming out for the draft.
Chargers.com: Speaking of your coaching staff, how excited are you to get to work with some of these guys.
McCoy: It’s a great opportunity. We sat down with a number of people down here and we had an idea of the people we wanted to target to best help our organization win. We got some experienced guys who have been around a long time and some young coaches who have a lot of energy and passion for the game. It’s a good mix and we’ll do a great job.
Chargers.com: What’s it been like getting to work with Tom Telesco?
McCoy: We’ve been busy doing a bunch of different things down here, but it’s been great. We’ve got a lot to do, but we’re taking it one step at a time. We have a plan that we’re going to follow so we’re taking it one day at a time and doing what we need to do.
Chargers.com: How impressed have you been by the prospects taking part in the Senior Bowl?
McCoy: There are a lot of talented players here. It’s a great start to the process of evaluating everything. When we get back into the office next week we’ll be rolling. We’ll start evaluating our football team and start evaluating players for the draft.
Chargers.com: During your introductory press conference, you pointed out how you are going to be very detail oriented in coming up with a plan along with Telesco. When do you think you will start working on that?
McCoy: We have a good idea already of what we’re going to do moving forward. We will have to make little adjustments along the way. Now, we haven’t had a ton of time to sit down and look at every day what we’re doing, but we have a good outline and idea of what we’ll be doing.
Chargers.com: It’s been a little over a week since you’ve been hired. What has been the most surprising part so far of being a head coach in the National Football League?
McCoy: Everyone told me how difficult it was going to be to put a staff together. And when I say difficult, it’s hard because there are so many good football coaches out there. And they are great coaches and even better people. There are people you’d love to work with, but there are only so many spots on the staff so you have to pick and choose who you’re going to take to put the best staff together. You also have to look at how the guys will fit together. And I think we have a good fit and a good mix of different types of people on the staff.
Chargers.com: What went into your decision to make a change in terms of the strength and conditioning coach?
McCoy: We addressed that like we did any other position. We are going to do what we think is best for the organization moving forward. We talked and interviewed a number of different people for different spots, and we felt this direction was the best for our football team.
Chargers.com: In terms of next steps, you’re finishing the Senior Bowl and you’re finishing rounding out your coaching staff. What’s next for Mike McCoy?
McCoy: Well we’ll be back in the office later today. I’ll meet with Tom and we’ll put a plan together for the next few months. The staff will be in the office on Monday morning for the first time as an entire staff. So we’ll start evaluating our football team and addressing what our needs are.
