Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (12.31.24)
Opening Statement:
“Short week, got to get ready to roll here. So this will really be our Wednesday for the football team, so our really first day of preparation toward Baltimore. We’ll have a walkthrough today and then kick it back up for tomorrow, which will be our Thursday, for a practice. So starting the work week, division opponent, and then just make sure we have a really good week of prep. Get to know these guys again. Haven’t faced them since October, so just going back to school on them now. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Who will start a quarterback for you on Saturday?
“Yeah, I’m going to work through that this week, Mary Kay (Cabot). There’s certainly a chance that I could play Bailey (Zappe) and Dorian (Thompson-Robinson) in this game. Jameis (Winston) is still working through that shoulder injury, so I envision him being the emergency quarterback in this game and then there’s potential to play both guys.”
Would you think maybe Bailey might start it and then Dorian could be available or how would you go about that?
“We’re going to get through the week to make that determination.”
Why would you want to see potentially both guys play in that finale?
“Yeah, I think we’re just going to work through the week to make that final determination, Scott (Petrak). But ultimately, Bailey has been a guy that got here. Haven’t seen him in a game just yet. Dorian is a young player who’s using all these reps to get better. So, there’s a scenario where we do that, but I want to make sure we get through the week before making a final determination.”
We saw the news that Ced (Cedric Tillman) got put on IR. I know concussions are all different, but like, is there a long-term concern here or is he expected to be fine going forward?
“Yeah, you’re right, Scott (Petrak), they’re all different. You just have to treat any injury with the symptoms and those type of things, and certainly we’ll do that and follow protocols with concussions, of course. But I’m confident that Ced will be ready to roll.”
Did I miss something on Jerome Ford? Do you have an update on him?
“You didn’t miss anything, Jeff (Schudel). No update just yet. With this being Tuesday on the calendar, obviously we’re going to work through a lot of injuries throughout this week. And I’d put Jerome certainly in that group that — we’ll see how he progresses based on how he feels.”
Can you give your assessment on the way Dorian has played in these two games?
“Yeah, I think so much for me is, as a team, we have come up short and certainly there’s things that I know I can do better, we as a team can do better. Obviously, it’s always going to start with taking care of the football. So, that’s something that we’ll look to do a better job of this week.”
I know after the game it sounded like Pierre (Strong Jr.) had a head injury or was being evaluated for one. Is he in the protocol officially?
“He is.”
With John Kelly coming back, I mean, obviously you guys have some familiarity with him. How could he help you this Saturday?
“I think it’s just like you said, it’s familiarity with John knowing the system, knowing his skill set, his strengths. Those are important as you’re trying to get ready on a short week.”
Will you plan on sitting anyone for this finale to take a look at young players or aside from the quarterback position, are you approaching this just like any other game?
Yeah, if guys are able to play physically, they will play.”
Obviously, this has been a very difficult and disappointing year for everyone involved. Just what do you hope to learn about your team and some of these guys if there is anything to be learned in this finale in Baltimore?
“I think all these games are important, Daryl (Ruiter), and obviously we’ll reflect on the season at the end of the season. I think the guys understand this a great opportunity for our football team. It’s a great opportunity to go compete.”
Forgive me if you already answered about David Njoku, but is he going to be able to play in this game?
“Yeah, no, haven’t talked about Dave just yet. We’ll see. Put him in the group that we’re going to see how he does throughout this week.”
When you look at your offense, last week, Jerry Jeudy was the only receiver that had one more than one catch in the game. And it seems like whoever is at quarterback, that’s going to be a tough road for him if you don’t have David and now obviously you don’t have Ced. So, how can you maybe get some of these other guys a little bit more involved?
“Yeah. I think for us, Mary Kay (Cabot), we trust all those guys at the wide receiver position, at the tight end position, at the running back position. We trust all those guys that can catch the ball in the pass game. Obviously, Jerry got a lot of attention in this last one, but we are looking to stay balanced, of course. But I think it does come down to there’s guys that are on the field, we trust them to go make plays.”
Kevin, if you do decide to play Zappe and DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson), would you divide it by half?
“Working through all that, Tony (Grossi). I’ll kind of update you guys towards the end of the week.”
Kevin, this is obviously Rodney McLeod’s last NFL game. What can you say about him and what he’s given to you guys for the past two years?
“Well, whatever I say, he’s going to hear because he’s sitting about 10 feet away from me. You owe me, Rod. He’s a pros pro. He’s a joy to coach. He brings it every single day. He’s a tremendous leader. And all the superlatives that I say about him as a football player, he’s a better person. He’s a new dad, so if he looks tired, that’s what that is. But great person. Has played great for us. So, I’m a big Rod McLeod fan.”
Obviously, you want to win, but what are you hoping for him for this last one?
“Yeah, well, I’ll let him address that, but I’m hoping for him to help our football team.”
I know you’re singularly focused on this week, and excuse the awkwardness of this question, but have you talked to ownership about your future and whether you’ll be back next season?
“Yeah, for me, Tom (Withers), I do have the singular focus. I have the blinders on to this week. I have a lot of conversations with ownership. They’ve been extremely supportive this season. Obviously, they share in the disappointment for where we are right this minute, but really the focus is on this game.”
And since coach (Mike) Vrabel is no longer around, can you just reflect on the time you had with him? And are we sure that he’s going to interview for a coaching position and not a middle linebacker spot?
“Yeah, you know, Coach Vrabes is one of my favorites. Just a rock-solid human. Was a great help to this football team. A great help to me. Great help to our scout team defense. He’s going to do great. Part of adjusting his contract was letting him get a head start on some of these interviews, and I think a team will be lucky to have him.”
I know that you said you’re working through all the injuries, but nobody to this point, you can already rule out for Saturday because of injuries?
“Correct.”
As you do kind of put a bow on the season on Saturday, we’ve asked you a lot about a lot of the changes on the offensive coaching staff, and obviously Ken Dorsey coming in as offensive coordinator. In your eyes, what’s the key to having a successful kind of marriage of bringing in a lot of different coaches from different systems, so to speak, and having them all come together to implement one vision?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to reflect on the offense yet. I think those are the type of things you talk about at the end of the season. But that’s our job as coaches to put a system together that we all believe in, that we all work to put our guys in positions to succeed. Pretty simple.”
Back to Ced, I know he showed some stuff before he got hurt. I’m just curious, like, what you saw from him and how disappointing that you didn’t get to see more over this last month and a half?
“Yeah, certainly disappointed for Ced. He was playing well there until he was injured, which was a shame. And like we talked about, his opportunities grew as his play time increased, and he was out there. So, he’ll work real hard. I think he’s certainly a young player that can continue to improve, and that’ll be a big part of this offseason for him. But of course, there’s disappointment that he wasn’t able to continue that strong work that he had when he was playing.”