HC Kevin Stefanski (12.21.20)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
Opening statement:
“On the injury front, (T) Chris Hubbard has that knee injury. He will miss significant time so he will be out this week and then more updates pending. (DT) Sheldon Richardson with the neck injury should be OK. (S) Andrew Sendejo is progressing through the concussion protocols. (G) Wyatt Teller is really still week to week so we will kind of take it as this week progresses, but I would say he is unlikely for this week.
“Talking about last night, like we talked about last night – maybe it was this morning; I can’t remember – a really good team effort across the board. The guys played really hard. I was proud of them for that. Offensively singling guys out, like we talked about (QB) Baker (Mayfield) was really, really sharp. (C) Nick Harris going in there on the second play and performing at a high level, it is possible I was not surprised by that. Defensively, (S) Karl Joseph really played well, making a lot of tackles. He ran our punt team for the first time with Sendejo being out, and he recovered an onside kick. He made a big impact last night for us to get that victory.”
On if Hubbard will be out for the remainder of the season with the knee injury:
“We will see. I am not ready to go that far, but he will be out this week.”
On if Hubbard will need surgery following the knee injury:
“I do not have the answer to that just yet.”
On if Harris will play RG if Teller is out this week:
“Yes.”
On how Harris played last night:
“Did his job. Played hard. Assignment sound. Got people on the ground. Really pleased with how he performed.”
On confidence the Browns will be focused heading into the NY Jets game, given the team’s record:
“We are just getting started on the preparation for the Jets, but I have watched the game from yesterday, and when our players see that tape, they will understand the challenge that that is in front of us.”
On how focused the Browns have been throughout the year:
“That is part of it. All of that preparation that goes into the workweek, it is important to understand your job, understand your opponent and all of that, and then on top of that, you have to block out anything that is going on around you. The guys have done a nice job of that, and they have to continue to do that.”
On if S Ronnie Harrison Jr. could come off of IR this week:
“We will see. I can’t comment on that yet, but we will see.”
On factors for Mayfield’s increased completion percentage and accuracy:
“Completion percentage is not a perfect stat to tell the whole story. No. 1, we did not have any drops last night and we had some contested catches so that plays into it. Teams playing big zone where you are working the underneath zones at a high clip plays into that. We have seen over the course of a bunch of ballgames he has fit the ball into tight windows – I think of Jarvis’ touchdown last night. It is an all-encompassing stat that really is a team stat between Baker and the guys on the receiving end.”
On if Mayfield is throwing more accurately:
“I would have to really study it over the course of the season. That is one of his strong suits is his accuracy.”
On if Harris has practiced at G this season, given WR Jarvis Landry said postgame that he was unaware if Harris had practiced at G:
“Jarvis does not pay a lot of attention to the interior offensive line’s rotation (laughter). Yeah, we work him in there.”
On if he reviewed the TV copy of Landry’s taunting penalty:
“The TV copy is not in there yet. I will look at it, but I will stick with what I told you guys last night – you can’t hurt the team.”
On LB Jacob Phillips’ performance last night:
“He was active. Physical around the ball. Never perfect. He is a young pup, and he is getting better with each rep.”
On Landry’s ‘resurgence’ in recent weeks with increased production and how much Landry’s health is a factor:
“I do not think there is one answer to that. I think his health certainly plays a factor into it. I just think the games and how they have unfolded have obviously played a factor. He is a very reliable target for the quarterback. Again, I will point to the touchdown catch. He is covered, and Baker makes a great throw and Jarvis makes a great catch, a strong catch. He made a strong catch on the seam route later in the game. I just see a very dependable player, but to comment on a resurgence, I would be giving an incomplete answer without studying the whole thing.”
On NFL Network reporting that Hubbard will have knee surgery this week and the severity of the injury:
“I will wait to give a complete update, but like I said before, significant time. I should mention Hub has given us great reps – not good reps, great reps – as a versatile player. He is an outstanding teammate. We will miss him in the time that he misses, but in terms of the whole picture of the injury, I will wait to put out something official.”
On how important Landry’s versatility is to the Browns offense:
“It is hugely important. To have a versatile player at that position that you can move around speaks to his skillset, but I also think it speaks to his intelligence. He is a guy who can handle that. There are some guys who would not be able to handle moving around the formation, lining them up in the backfield and those type of things. You see a veteran player who is very, very smart and understands the game so he gives me great confidence as we design plays and gameplans to move him around the formation.”
On if he was aware of Landry’s versatility before the season:
“No, I did not have a ton of familiarity with him. You study the tape and you see what you see, but until you are around guys, at practice, talking to them and seeing how they see things, that is so valuable to me and our offensive staff in understanding how we can use them.”
On Joseph’s performance last night:
“He played well last night. Made a lot of tackles. Made plays on the football that we needed him to make. Running the punt team is no small feat. I know it was only three reps, but he had never done it in his career. He took it very seriously and spent extra time with Prief (special teams coordinator Mike Priefer) to make sure he knew the whole operation. To make a play on the hands team, we have had a lot of moments in hands, and to have guys continually coming away with that ball is a very big deal.”
On S Sheldrick Redwine’ performance last night:
“Sheldrick played well, also. Solid tackling. A lot of times at that safety position, you have to be the eraser and get the guy on the ground and let’s not make a bad play worse. Sheldrick did a nice job of that. Had a big play there on that fourth down play hitting the running back with a high-surface tackle and knocking him back.”
On if Richardson will be able to practice this week:
“I do not know that yet, but long term, I think he will be OK.”
On who will be the backup at G moving forward if Teller is unavailable and Harris starts at RG:
“We will work through that. I think (G) Michael Dunn is ready to play a versatile role for us. He does a great job out here at practice. We move him all over the line, as well. He is one guy, but we will work through all of the roster moves this week.”
On DE Myles Garrett talking about the continued impact of the COVID-19 recovery process and if he will ease up on Garrett during the practice week:
“We are mindful of that and have been mindful of that since he has been back. He is cleared to play. He is working through it. He is battling through it. We have been smart about it, and we will continue to be smart to monitor him and make sure that he is at 100 percent.”
On how imperative it is to get off to a fast start against the NY Jets this week:
“We try to get off to a fast start every week. That does not always happen. We turned the ball over on downs on our first drive last night. It is always a focus for us. We try to practice fast and start fast at practice and think that that carries over to the game. It will always be a focus for us. Again, I will talk more about the Jets on Wednesday, but my initial peek at that game from yesterday, that is a team that plays really, really hard.”
On if he will ‘scoreboard watch’ on Sunday with other AFC games having playoff implications:
“No, I will look at the scoreboard of the Browns versus the Jets.”
On if he is having fun and enjoying the ride this season, given the 1-0 mentality each week:
“Yeah, the fun in this business is winning. We enjoy it. I promise you, our staff and our players enjoy it. That feeling in that locker room is hard to replace. Then quickly win, lose, or draw, you have to get over it because there is a lot of work to go into it.”
On if he saw LeBron James’ shout out to him on Twitter:
“I did not.”
On James shouting him out on Twitter last night:
“I appreciate it.”
On the Browns TEs’ contributions last night:
“Those guys were pretty good last night. They all play a role. We are moving them around and putting them in different spots. Obviously, Baker has great trust in all three of those guys. They have proven to give us a bunch of valuable reps here this season.”
On how Landry’s passion affects the rest of the team:
“It can be infectious. His nickname is Juice. Especially in a stadium with no people in there, which is strange, we knew that we were going to have to B.Y.O. Jarvis is a player that they guys feed off of his energy, and we will have to continue to do that this week, as well.”
On if most teams need at least one player like Landry who brings that level of passion:
“You just hope everybody is being themselves. I can promise you, Jarvis is being himself. I think that is what the guys feed off of more than anything.”
On challenges in sustaining an eight-minute offensive drive:
“It is probably hardest on the offensive line because you are subbing in running backs, tight ends and wide receivers and on defense, they are waving in defensive lineman. Those are the guys that do not get subs. On long drives, it is great to see those guys fighting, straining and finishing. For us to finish with a (RB) Nick Chubb touchdown where it was just your basic goal line play and knocking people back, that was really a great reflection on the offensive line.”
On if it difficult as a play caller to ‘throttled down when necessary’ like when building an eight-minute offensive drive:
“I do not think so. I am just trying to put our guys in position to make plays. I am very, very lucky in the offensive staff that we have. We have great dialogue throughout the game and great dialogue throughout the drive so I am fortunate.”
On if he is eager to see which Browns players will be selected to the Pro Bowl tonight:
“I want our guys to have individual success. I want the accolades for all of them. I know we have plenty of guys that are deserving, but at the end of the day, I think those guys understand that those individual accolades really are a reflection of their teammates of this team. Ultimately, that is what we are about here, but it does not mean I do not hope for our guys to be recognized.”
On what LB Mack Wilson needs to do to get back into the LB rotation after being inactive last night:
“We will see how it goes this week. Nothing that anybody else has to do. Practice hard and be ready to go.”
# # #