“The culture here and the way the whole team has bought in, that’s a huge part of it,” Bogardus stated. “That’s one of the most important things we do every week, having a group that has bought into, ‘Hey we’re gonna go out, we’re gonna compete and we’re gonna do this,’ even though it may be tedious.
“It’s definitely underappreciated, I would say, globally,” Bogardus continued, “but Kevin tries to do a great job singling guys out each week on offense, defense, special teams and making sure they know, ‘Hey, we see you. We’re seeing what you’re doing.’ So, again, some of that will never be seen on Sundays. But without those guys prepping us every week, it’s hard to go out and [perform].”
Bogardus has helped orchestrate scout teams at every stop in his 14-year coaching career. That journey includes Super Bowl wins with the Rams (2021) and Broncos (2015), and a priceless experience during Peyton Manning’s swan song, when the five-time MVP QB was recovering from a late-season foot injury.
“He ended up running the scout team offense for us in Denver,” recalled Bogardus, “which, it’s a little different when Peyton Manning is the guy calling it out, saying to you, ‘They’re not gonna do this! They’re not gonna try to protect it like that! I would change the protection over there!’ and I’m like just, ‘We might need to see something, Peyton – like, please?’ He’s looking at you, ‘Nah – this is a bad idea!’ “
It’s an automatic ego check, and an extraordinary reminder of the bigger picture.
“Just like I said earlier, it’s a respect-for-the-game type of thing,” Trishton Jackson reinforced. “I know I get a lot of respect from [teammates], because a lot of people, a lot of fans probably wouldn’t know who I am; I don’t have really like a big buzz of what I do every day, but it really helps the team, and it helps me every day. And [teammates] know me, they know I’m a killer, so when my time comes, I’ll show the world. Right now, you know, I’m just working with every opportunity I have.”
“It could be unheralded, but it’s kind of how you handle it,” noted O’Hara, who was one of the coaches O’Connell brought over from L.A. “We’re all grateful to be a part of this organization and the National Football League. We come to work with a passion and energy to do our role as part of a bigger plan.”