HC Kevin Stefanski (11.27.20)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
Opening statement:
“I did not get a chance to talk to you all yesterday so I hope everybody had a great holiday.
“I think we had a good week of practice. Just wrapped up today out there in the fields. A unique week with the guys. I am proud of them and how they have handled this and how they have made sure to get their work in no matter what. I know you have the injury report so we are going to list (CB) Denzel (Ward) and (S) Sheldrick (Redwine) out and (G Wyatt) Teller and (S Andrew) Sendejo as questionable.”
On if it was a relief to get T Jedrick Wills Jr. back at practice today and the confidence he has when the starting Browns OL is together:
“It is always good to get the five guys together because there is so much communication that has to occur with those five guys. We have done a lot of extra work this week. Just now, practice ends and the offensive line and the backs stay out there and they get extra pass protection pick-up drills, if you will, because communication is key. Good to have Jed out there.”
On how to make sure the team is as prepared as needed, given the unique practice schedule this week:
“I think you just double down on your preparation. You make sure that you are being efficient in how you run your meetings in the morning. I think that is a big part of it. I give (defensive coordinator) Joe Woods and the defensive staff a ton of credit. I told them that yesterday was going to be virtual for them, and they were prepared and I think this offseason prepared them. They had a bunch of different things that they wanted to accomplish together online, and I think they were able to do that.”
On if Teller is dealing with soreness, similar to last week:
“Yes.”
On how S Ronnie Harrison Jr. has progressed this season:
“I think he has just gotten better and better as he is around our coaches and around our team and understanding our scheme. I think the coaches have done a nice job of meeting with Ronnie, meeting extra and then getting him up to speed and playing him early and not overloading him. He has earned every rep he has gotten every time he has been out there. Like you said, he is ball aware and he is a good tackler.”
On DE Adrian Clayborn’s performance last week and how much Clayborn is looking to contributing more again this week:
“Really appreciate having Adrian around. He is a pro’s pro. He does not say much. He definitely leads by example. You saw in the ballgame last week where he was able to be productive and make plays. I know this, he is a great teammate and his and his teammates really appreciate having him out there.”
On DE Cameron Malveaux making a big play last week and needing that type of production from players stepping up:
“That is right. He practices very hard. He is extremely conscientious, always in his book and asking good questions. Really looking forward to him continuing to contribute.”
On if FB Andy Janovich and LB Sione Takitaki have been ruled out for Sunday’s game:
“Yes.”
On who will step in at LB for Takitaki:
“We will see. I am not going to get necessarily into all of the lineup changes, but I would go back to what we have talked about before where we like to play a lot of people and we like to rotate guys in and out and make sure a bunch of guys are fresh. “
On if this week was any harder dealing with COVID-related issues on multiple days and waiting for contact tracing to be complete prior to determining practice logistics:
“Not really because we are virtual in the morning already so I guess the only difference would be the coaches were working from their homes in the morning; the players are already working from their homes. That is the new normal for us of being ready to adapt. I think we got everything accomplished that we needed to get accomplished this week.”
On if he learned more about the maturity of the team after dealing adversity this week:
“I just think our guys throughout this season have understood that they have to have a laser focus every single day to be able to prepare. We are not concerned with anything that may attempt to distract us. We really have a task at hand, and the guys have remained focused on that.”
On if DE Porter Gustin is out this week:
“Yes.”
On if he remains confident in the team’s COVID-19 protocols, given there were consecutive days with a player testing positive this week:
“We educate our guys as much as we can. We adhere to the protocols. I would tell you, we have had no high-risk close contacts through all of this, and I think that is a big deal as the protocols are written.”
On his Thanksgiving:
“It was different. Never had Thanksgiving just with my immediate family so that was strange, just us and the kids at the dinner table. It felt normal in that we played a lot of knee football and I was the tackling dummy yesterday so that felt pretty normal.”
On if his status is questionable after playing knee football with his kids yesterday:
“Trust me, I should be out.”
On the Browns feeling confident in the future of the safety position being strong with Harrison’s performance and S Grant Delpit coming back next year from injury:
“Hard for me to go there. I will tell you, I am enjoying having Ronnie around and enjoy him at practice. He makes plays on the ball in practice just like he does in the game. He brings an energy to position. It is hard for me to go past today.”
On if S Karl Joseph can also play FS:
“Yeah.”
On if he is comfortable with Joseph if he has to fill the role at FS:
“Yeah, he has played back there so yes, we are very confident in Karl.”
On if he talked to S Andrew Sendejo following the unnecessary roughness penalty:
“Yeah, I talked to him and I talked to the whole team about that play in particular. We can’t do things that take away from the team. I know what his intentions were, and obviously, that is a play that he would like back. When you go from a sack to a plus-15 foul, it is just really hurting the team. We are not about that. We are and should be a disciplined football team, and that is both pre-snap and post-play. Disappointed in that play. Andrew understands that, and really any of our guys with the 15-yarders, they are just killers to a football team.”
On CB Kevin Johnson’s performance after recovering from the lacerated liver sustained in training camp:
“That seems like ages ago, first of all. He has given us really good reps. He practices really hard, ultra-prepared. Again, excited for him and his role. I think he has done a nice job.”
On if Johnson has been able to provide the team what was expected after sustaining the lacerated liver:
“He has done a nice job. I think he is well past that, and I think he has hit the ground running.”
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