HC Kevin Stefanski (8.31.23)
Did you tell (Dustin) Hopkins the conditions are like this every gameday?
“It’s beautiful out here. Well, I mean, that’s honestly, that’s our place on the lake. We can get anything out here. That’s why we love it. We happened to get a beautiful day today. I know next week’s going to be hot. Probably cool down later in the week, but you have to be ready for every element when you’re playing on the lake like we are.”
Alex (Wright) back on the field today, what do you see out of him?
“Just yeah, he looks good. It’s hard to say. I mean, he’s got to continue to progress and we’ll see how it goes into Monday of next week.”
What message do you send to your team as you send them forth for the weekend?
“Yeah, I think you got to make sure that you use this weekend to your advantage. You got to recharge that battery. It’s a short little respite here for everybody and we’ll work and as we’re looking ahead to Cincinnati and doing work on them. But just take a breather, charge a battery up and then get ready to roll.”
P.J (Walker) is not here today. Is there any hold up?
“No, he’ll be here Monday.”
Even though Jerome (Ford) was your number two back, do you still anticipate he can be your kick returner?
“Could be, yeah. I think we have multiple guys that can do it. Obviously, Jerome did it for us last year, did a nice job. So, he’s certainly a candidate but we have multiple guys that can do it.”
So you’d be comfortable with him doing both?
“I would.”
You have Jordan (Kunaszyk) going on IR today. Sione (TakiTaki) coming back from injury. AWalk (Anthony Walker) coming back from injury. Are you confident you have the depth you need there at linebacker? And some of these young guys are going to be thrown in pretty quick?
“I am. I think that’s the name of the game, Tom (Withers). As you know, in this business, depth is important because you’re going to need everybody at certain points throughout the season. So whether you’re young or old, you got to be ready to roll. And I think the guys have had a nice camp. Coach (Jason) Tarver does a really nice job getting those guys ready to go.”
Getting Mo (Maurice) Hurst (II) back out here. I guess he just seems to have such a good understanding of the defense from his time in San Francisco, what he’s added to that D line?
“Yeah excited about Mo. I think he did a really nice job just going back all the way to the spring to the summer, the preseason games. He acquitted himself well in all those reps that he got. A veteran like you mentioned, Ashley (Bastock). Knows this game, knows how to operate in this scheme. So excited to have him.”
Jerome Ford, will he be as ready as he needs to be to pick up blitzes and do all those things that he’ll need to do on third down if he’s called upon?
“He will, Mary Kay (Cabot). And I think, again, disappointed that he didn’t get preseason reps, but he’s played for us before. He’s played in the preseason last year. He’s played in games last season. So he’s somebody that we do have a lot of confidence in.”
How did Dustin look today?
“Yeah, did a nice job. Getting down here was helpful, I think, for him. He got down here early with the specialists and got a lay of the land and that type of thing, and he did a nice job.”
Now that you guys go into this next week, you’re into week one. Do you feel that you were able to accomplish everything in July and August that you had hoped to?
“Yeah, I think you put a plan together and you make sure that you check the boxes as you go. We certainly did that. We followed our plan, and really, for us right now you just have to trust in your process and what you’ve done, and then you get going next week for a 17-game season.”
You talked about finding the plays with the quarterback likes. Do you feel good about where that is heading into the season? And then the process seemed like that was just all offseason long you were working?
“Yeah, I think that’s all season long. I think what happens with offensive football is you run a lot of plays in the spring and summer, and they become your core, and then you start to pivot and you add a little addendum to a play in week one. And then maybe you run it again in week five. So, I think that’s just ongoing, and you have to have a constant dialogue with the quarterback and things that he’s comfortable with. And then ultimately, what matches the quarterback’s eye, what matches your talent and your personnel that you have. So I really think that’s ongoing.”
And it seems like you all have a good rapport?
“Yeah, I think he’s a gym rat. Deshaun (Watson) loves to talk ball. AVP (Alex Van Pelt) and I were just talking about that this morning. You’re putting tape on and you’re talking about different looks that you’re getting and things that he sees because I’ve said it before, the quarterback has the best seat in the house when it comes to looking at a defense and seeing a tell – and how did you know that coverage was coming and those type of conversations. So, he works very hard at it.”
And you’re not just going to Houston and you’re looking at Clemson, you’re looking at things he’s done?
“Gainesville High. The elephants. Maybe the red elephants?”
How will it impact your game plan that Dustin isn’t necessarily a long-ball hitter? I think 15 or 30. How will that impact?
“Yeah, Mary Kay I think we go into every game looking at the conditions, looking at who we’re playing, and making those types of decisions, trying to stay ahead of it as you can. And then in game, I think Bubba (Ventrone) does a great job of kind of letting us know where we’re comfortable getting to yard line wise. So, I don’t see that changing much other than to say that we adjust to our players.”
Did you name a captain?
“We did, and I think we’ll put out a release here in a little bit.”
We see Jerome out there working on kickoff. Is the expectation that he’ll be the return guy?
“We’ll see. Like I said, I think he’s a candidate for it. I think we have multiple guys on our roster that can do it. We’ll kind of get through next week and Bubba and myself will make a decision there.”
Can I ask if Deshaun’s one of them? Because I have a question if he is.
“Then you can ask your question.”
Does that speak to just how different a place he is now from last year? That he wasn’t going to be around you guys, he wasn’t a captain, and now he’s one of the guys?
“Well, alright. So our captains are Deshaun Watson, Joel Bitonio, Anthony Walker, Myles Garrett and Charlie Hughlett. So, we have five guys. We’ll elect a game captain each week as well. The players will select that captain. So, you’ll see six guys out there for coin toss. I’ve said it before, leadership comes in all different styles and it comes in different shapes and sizes. You vote for captains, and it is really important. We also have a leadership committee, and we have players represented from every position there, so you don’t need that ‘C’ to determine that you’re a leader. Now, having said that, these players voted for those guys and Deshaun in particular, because you asked the question – but Deshaun, that’s very, very natural for him to lead, and I think he’s comfortable leading from out in front. I think he’s comfortable from leading and letting his teammates get credit, and that’s just something that he’s always done his whole life. And just the way he’s integrated himself into this football team is impressive to watch from the course of the moment he got here to now. Just seeing how he’s gotten to know everybody on his team, how he pushes them, how he motivates them. I think you’re seeing a lot of examples of high-quality leadership from Deshaun in particular.”
What’s the difference between the leadership committee and the captainship?
“Yeah, good question. So, our leadership committee meets each week, and that’s one player from every position. So, one defensive end, one defensive tackle, one safety, one corner, that type of thing. So that’s a group that I talk to every week about all things under the sun. And then your captains, as you guys know, are the team that you send out or the group that you send out to midfield, and they kind of represent who you are and what you’re about.”
Do you get to look at 25, Kahlef (Hailassie)? I saw him walking off.
“I got to talk to him. Yes, Alex Leatherwood, Lucas (Havrisik) – we have new players here, and that’s kind of what happens, as you know, really, throughout the season. You add practice squad players, you lose practice squad players. So good to see those guys, and we’ll start to integrate them into our program here over the next few days.”
Who picks the leadership committee? Is that you?
“The players.”
So right now, I think you have 24 players that were not here last year, of your 53. Does that seem a lot to you?
“I don’t know. Yeah, that’s a good question. I don’t know what the average is, Tony (Grossi). Turnover happens, as we know, in football every single season. So, not surprised that it’s a significant number, but the number itself, I don’t know.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***