HC Kevin Stefanski (pre-practice, 8.14.20)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
Opening statement:
“Good to see everybody. Sounds like I will be seeing some of you live out here on the practice fields, which is great. Really excited to get out there and start competing. We have had two days of Phase II where you are on air. Then today, we get to get on the grass and compete against each other. I think that is great, and I just mentioned to players last night, though, that we have to be smart about how we compete. We have to take care of each other. We are just in helmets out there. There is a way to practice and get a lot out of practice, but we have to make sure that we are smart. Excited to get the guys out there.”
“We will not have (C) JC Tretter out there. He had a procedure on his knee yesterday. We will not have (DE) Myles Garrett out there. He tweaked a hamstring, but he should be fine. You will see everybody else out on the practice field”
On how long will Tretter be unable to practice:
“We will see. I am going to make sure that I listen to the medical professionals.”
On if Tretter had surgery or another type of procedure on his knee:
“He had a procedure on his knee.”
On how QB Baker Mayfield looks on the field:
“I think I have seen a guy, like we talked about, that has taken this job seriously and making sure he is ultra-prepared for the job. We have not practiced yet so we have to get a few days into this to make any statements about any player but really like where Baker is at from a schematic standpoint, from a physical standpoint and definitely from a mental standpoint.”
On how many conversations he has had with Mayfield about ‘rediscovering himself’ and being the player that he needs to be for the franchise:
“I think any conversation I have with all the players, at times, there is not a goal in mind other than to get to know people so it is not like he is laying on my couch or I am laying on his couch (laughter). We are just getting started here. I appreciate where he is. I think he has done a nice job as a leader of this football team, and just excited to get on the grass with him.”
On the severity of Tretter’s injury:
“I am not going to get into the specifics, but just want to give you guys a heads up as you are doing your crossword puzzle and listing everybody who is not on the field. We have a plan for him. I am going to defer to the medical staff, to (Senior Vice President of Player Health and Development) Joe (Sheehan) and the docs. It is a great opportunity for (C) Nick Harris to get a ton of reps. Excited to see Nick out there.”
On if new footwork from Mayfield has transitioned to better accuracy and performance:
“We are so early in the stages of training camp. I think it shows up that he has worked very hard. I think (offensive coordinator) Coach (Alex) Van Pelt and the entire quarterback room have little things that they are working on and they are doing a nice job, but I do think we need to get into practice and get into full speed to truly see all of our players where they are from a physical standpoint.”
On how disappointing it is that Garrett will not participating in the first practice:
“Disappointed because you want to see the big guy out there on the grass but not overly-concerned. I think we will get him back out there soon enough. He is locked and loaded. He just went through the walkthrough so he is doing really well.”
On if today somewhat feels like his first official day as head coach, given the team is practicing:
“I do not look at it that way just because we have been on the field so much in the last week or so. I am just excited for the players to get a chance to have a competitive period and to go through one-on-ones. That is the fun part in this is finding a way to practice hard, practice smart and get a ton of work done. Really looking forward to it.”
On if G Wyatt Teller is in the lead for RG and expectations for Gs Michael Dunn and Jovahn Fair:
“Wyatt had a really good offseason. As we break the huddle on Day 1, Wyatt will be in there. I think he knows this and every player knows this, you are constantly working to keep that job. I am working to keep my job. I hope there is pressure on him like there are on a lot of people to compete and go earn some roles. The two young players we added, we are going to continue to make sure we are looking for ways to improve our football team, and they are going to spend a lot of time with (offensive line) Coach (Bill) Callahan and (assistant offensive line) Coach (Scott) Peters to get them up to speed.”
On free agent G Ronald Leary’s visit to the Browns and if the team may potentially sign him:
“I really can’t comment on visits. I will leave that in AB’s (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry) court.”
On the most inhabiting part of the COVID-19 protocols when trying to conduct a ‘normal’ practice:
“Let me have a normal practice first before I get into that (laughter). We will see. You are going to see me like this out there [pulls mask up to face]. What I try to do is if I am back far enough, I will pull it down so that they can hear me. Listen, that is part of the drill. That is just how it is. I do not know yet, but I think it will look like practice.”
On if he has used cases from the MLB as lessons to the team about the importance of shared responsibility in following COVID-19 protocols when not in the building:
“I definitely do.”
On how different training camp will be without fans in attendance:
“It is going to be weird. That is a very unfortunate part of this. I have not experienced camp here with the Cleveland Browns fans, but just from what I have heard, it sounds like all of Northeast Ohio used to be here during training camp. It is a shame. We would love to have them out here. In the meantime, they have to watch Browns Live, I am told. We will do our best to make sure this is an exciting time for them and get some information to our fans because that is a huge part of why we do this. We are going to make sure we engage them as much as we can.”
On S Grant Delpit and where Delpit fits in the defense:
“I think he has to earn a role. We have high hopes for the kid. (Defensive coordinator) Joe (Woods) and his staff are going to look for ways that he can help us, and I think that remains to be seen. I think we have been evaluating him from the meeting rooms to the walkthroughs, and now, we get to see some full-speed reps and see where we can fit him in and help this football team win.”
On the plan for WR Jarvis Landry’s practice participation after returning from surgery:
“I think we have a really good plan for him, like we do all of our guys. We spent some time really talking about each guy, where they are and what we want to do. Some guys may be a little bit limited today and full go tomorrow or monitor their reps. We just have to be really aware of that. Obviously, Jarvis had that surgery, but he is doing really well. Really pleased with where he is, and we will be smart about how we bring him along.”
On how much he anticipates having to adjust how he would normally run a practice:
“To be honest with you, once we hit the practice field, I would ask you guys the question after practice, ‘Does it look like what you think it would look like?’ I think the answer is probably going to be yes. We have worked very, very diligently to create a safe environment for our players and our staff, and they have done a great job. We are going to continue to follow the protocols and go beyond them in a lot of cases, but when we are on the practice field, I think by and large you will see what looks like a normal training camp practice.”
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