HC Kevin Stefanski (10.30.20)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
Opening statement:
“You guys got the injury report. Going to rule those three guys (TE Austin Hooper, LB Jacob Phillips and G Wyatt Teller) out. Everybody else is ready to roll. Just got off the field. Had a good practice. I think the guys understand the challenge that we have this week.”
On how DE Myles Garrett looked in practice and Garrett’s outlook for Sunday:
“Yeah, he is ready to go. Limited. A couple plays off. Making sure we are keeping tabs on him, but he is ready to go.”
On if Garrett’s injury was not a significant concern throughout the week, given he seemed confident throughout the week Garrett would be able to play on Sunday:
“Correct.”
On the impact on offense of missing Hooper and Teller again this week:
“Those guys are working very hard. Just now watching them, they are pushing to get back. It just did not happen. Kind of ran out of days with those guys. They are very much into it. They are very much into the gameplan and very much into supporting their teammates, which is going to be a key on Sunday.”
On how much of what the Buccaneers did to defend Raiders RB Josh Jacobs is transferrable to Sunday:
“We look at all that tape, and you have to understand the scheme that defense runs and how it relates to us. Sometimes it is a carbon copy. Sometimes it is so different that it does not apply. Them in particular, they were so sound and they tackled well. Regardless of scheme and regardless of plan, tackling is such a key to stopping a rush attack like the Raiders have.”
On moving Garrett around on the DL and if he can remember having a player like Garrett who had that ability:
“I think we move him around based on what he is feeling that day. Sometimes he is feeling the left side, the right side or inside. Matchups always dictate those types of things. He does have the versatility to really line up anywhere, which is key for our plan.”
On if WR Donovan Peoples-Jones be still be the Browns’ primary returner this weekend with the added workload on offense:
“Yes.”
On how much he accounts for weather in the gameplan, given the current forecast for Sunday:
“We look at it starting on Monday, but it is oftentimes not a great level of accuracy all the way back there. We just keep tabs on it throughout the week, and it looks like it is going to be very windy on Sunday so it is definitely going to be part of the elements. That is part of our game and part of our advantage playing on Lake Erie. We are well aware of it and have to make any adjustments. It is something that we are thinking about really throughout the week.”
On if he enjoyed coaching in a domed venue in Minnesota as an offensive coach:
“I do think there is something about being in the elements though. Back with the Vikings while they were building that new stadium, we played at TCF Bank Stadium there with the Golden Gophers home. That was outstanding, just to play out there in the cold, in the rain, in the sleet – it did not really matter. I really believe that our guys understand that we have a huge challenge here. The weather is just a matter of fact. It does not really affect how we approach our game. As coaches, obviously, we will make any adjustments we have to make, but the guys are like the mailman – they will play anywhere.”
On the importance of getting contribution from players other than Garrett in the pass rush:
“That is a huge part of it. We have a rush plan. Sometimes that is rushing four, sometimes it is five or six or sometimes seven. I think ultimately what it goes to is we are trying to create matchups for our guys and then our guys have to go win a one on one. It is no different than a wide receiver versus a DB. It is a one-on-one wide receiver-DB training camp drill. You can just zero in on those two guys. The same thing with the pass rush, you can zero in on two guys and say this is a pass rush drill and somebody has to go win.”
On if Raiders QB Derek Carr is taking advantage of some blitz situations for deep passes:
“I think he is just taking advantage of the look. Sometimes it is a blitz. Sometimes it is post-safety man coverage but they are not blitzing. I just think he is doing such a nice job of seeing coverage and then taking his shots when they are there.”
On if the Bengals game could be a turning point for Mayfield this season in the offensive scheme:
“Yeah, I think for Baker in particular to come off of that game and get recognized with the [AFC Offensive Player of the Week] award, sure, I think that can only help confidence. I think he has the confidence of his teammates really going all the way back through training camp because he is about his business and he takes this very seriously this job. He puts everything he has into it, and he is performing in practice. Yeah, I expect Baker to continue to progress throughout the year.”
On if he expects Garrett to have his normal workload on Sunday:
“I do.”
On WR Jarvis Landry helping TE Harrison Bryant line up during the game-winning drive in the Bengals game as the team was trying to preserve time:
“He almost tore a pec he waving so hard to tell Harrison to get on the line. He is a very heady player. Showed that play to the team this morning. On Friday, we show them a lot of clips from around the league to understand situational ball. The first play of that drive, you had Donovan Peoples-Jones get tackled, he is trying to get up and the guy will not let him get up, and he flips the ball. A rookie flips ball to another rookie, Harrison Bryant, who runs the ball in to (C) JC Tretter. The guys as a team I think are really working hard to have that shared situational awareness. Jarvis, the veteran than he is, has been in those moments and understood what had to be done.”
On how valuable it is to have a veteran with Landry’s situational awareness to set an example for the team:
“I think it is of huge importance. I just think Jarvis in particular is a very, very smart football player. I do not think there us anything we install that he does not understand why we are installing it or he has experience running that play. I am talking to the run game as much as the pass game. He understands all the run schemes probably better than any guy I have been around.”
On Landry being someone who plays angry and how that can be valuable:
“Whatever it takes to get in the right mindset to go battle for 60 minutes on Sunday. Jarvis when he comes to work, you are right, sometimes he is not in the best of moods because that is how he plays. He plays angry so I try to stay out of his way as much as possible (laughter).”
On S Grant Delpit and how Delpit is staying engaged throughout the year during his rehab:
“He is doing great. He is attacking his rehab. He is staying into it. I think very highly of the kid. I know the coaches that are working with him, the strength coaches that are working with him, all the trainers and all of them report that he is full speed ahead on his rehab.”
On what a player like Delpit can gain from being in meetings even if they are not playing:
“Some guys learn from doing. Some guys learn from listening and being on the board. I think Grant is a very conscientious kid. He is making sure that this year he is still spending a lot of time and a lot of energy to understand the scheme and understand his role so when he hits the ground running, he is ready to go.”
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