HC Kevin Stefanski (9.4.23)
Kevin, any update on Denzel (Ward)?
“No update. No. Going through the protocol.”
Didn’t see Dustin (Hopkins) out there? Is he at practice?
“Not here today. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
When you go into a week and you don’t have your number one corner when you’re going up against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee (Higgins), Tyler (Boyd), what does it do to your preparation?
“Well, I mean, I’d say Denzel’s (Ward) in the protocol. We just got to work through that to see how it goes. We know what type of challenge this is. It’s a huge challenge. They’ve got great players, really good coaches. We know what you’re getting into.”
Kevin, when you play a team like this that you know so well, that there hasn’t been a ton of turnover, what does that week of preparation like?
“It’s pretty unique, and I’m sure it’s unique for them as well on that side. There’s so much tape to watch of your scheme versus their scheme, and they’ve obviously evolved over time just like we have. I’m speaking our offense and their defense, but there’s certainly a lot of tape to look at and a lot of different situations. I mean, third down and red zone and two minute – you name it, we’ve kind of been in all those situations versus them as well.”
So when did you start Cincinnati stuff? Has it been sprinkled in for months?
“I think every team – honestly, it’s when that schedule comes out, your eyes immediately go to that first game. So you start thinking about it. Now, you also want to – if you believe in your process, you don’t want to get too far ahead. So, we’ve tried to pump the brakes a little bit and not give the players a game plan too early. So you got to fight that urge back in April to start game planning because you don’t know yet what you’re good at. I think what you’re good at as a team evolves throughout the season as well. So, you try to go in with a plan that the guys can execute and then be ready to update and change some of the nuance and pivot based on what you’re getting from other teams.”
With the changes you had at cornerback, claiming the one, who’d be your third cornerback?
“We have a bunch of guys that have options. Or we have options there with a bunch of guys that can play inside and outside. So we’ll work through that this week, if necessary.”
Is Dustin sick or in any jeopardy whatsoever?
“No, he’ll be here tomorrow.”
Myles (Garrett) always looks like he’s in a good place physically. Just having been around him for a few years, have you detected a difference in him this year? He just seems to be, from the outside, just sharper and more on point with things.
“Yeah, you know, I talked to him and all our guys about we want the best version of our guys and myself included. So you hope that every year you’re getting a little bit better at something and another lap around the sun gives you some good perspective in that way. So, yeah, I put Myles in that category of somebody that’s constantly growing, constantly getting better.”
How much do think, that guys like Z (Za’Darius Smith), Dalvin (Tomlinson), and Ogbo (Okoronkwo) might be able to free up?
“Well, it’s something we talked about when we added Z, when we added Ogbo, when we added Dalvin. The more guys you can throw at an offense, and what you’re trying to do is create one one-on-ones. Now, ultimately, you’d love to create one on ones for everybody at times, but you know that Myles (Garrett) gets a lot of attention. So that’s something that the other side has to think long and hard about, how they want to dedicate their protection plan. Do they want to slide to Myles? Do they want to put a tight end over there? Do you want to put a running back over there? Do you want to max protect? Those are all things that each week teams think about when facing our rush.”
We’re going to be talking to Rodney (McLeod) in a couple minutes. What does he give as a secondary?
“He’s a good football player. He has a lot of experience in this scheme, so kind of came right in and could run it immediately. But he has a heady way about how he plays. Can’t tell you how many times he’s calling out routes before they happen just because he’s seen a bunch in his career. So I think one of his strong suits is just his ability to diagnose things quickly when looking at the offense.”
How often will he be out there? You’re pretty deep back there.
“We’ll see. Those are all things, I think, this week you work through and you have a plan going into game one of who you want to put out there and when. So those are all things that we’re talking through.”
Cincinnati has obviously added Orlando Brown to the left tackle spot and flipped Jonah (Williams) to the right. How much have you had a chance to see that line in the preseason, and how much of a noticeable difference do you see?
“Well, we played against both those guys, so we know those guys. Obviously moving Jonah over there to the right side, we’ll work through what that means for us. And those are good football players. I mean, they added good football players, which is no surprise. They definitely bolstered what they’re doing. So we have to be about our business.”
I know throughout his career Donovan (Peoples-Jones) has had a tendency to make some big plays against the Bengals. Just what that said about him, especially his rookie year and his second year, when he was making those kinds of plays for you guys?
“Yeah. Donovan’s a guy that has made big plays, period, whether it’s versus the Bengals. He’s made big plays in games down the field, catches. He has catch and run ability, someone that the quarterbacks really trust, know where he’s going to be. Very friendly target to throw the ball to.”
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