Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (10.3.25)
Opening Statement:
“Okay, good to be here. It’s a privilege for us to be over here playing in this series. It’s a special thing for our league, for our organization, so we take it very seriously that we get this honor to be over here. So, it’s a great experience for our players, obviously being here, and they’ve handled it really well, as you’d imagine. We’re very lucky with our organization to be able to do this and do it first class, and the logistics of everything, it’s just been outstanding. So, with that said, we have had a good week. Had a good week of practice, which we had to have. Was a good Wednesday back in Berea, then Thursday, did a good job handling that, which is a unique day, and then today really is a normal, quote, unquote, Friday for us. And I thought the guys did a really nice job. So, huge challenge this week against a good football team, a team that we have a lot of respect for, just from their players, their coaches. It’s going to be a very, very big challenge for our football team, but I’m excited for these guys. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Kevin (Stefanski), Greg (Newsome II) appeared on the injury report yesterday. You have him questionable. When did the injury happen? Wednesday? When did that happen?
“Yeah, I think Wednesday. Maybe there was something lingering maybe from the game, but Wednesday.”
I know you listed him as questionable, is this something you feel like, right at game time?
“No, we’ll see. Yeah, I mean, he’s working through it, so we’ll see.”
How about Jack (Conklin) Is he still questionable?
“Yeah, I’d say similar there, Mary Kay (Cabot). He’s pushing. Has been pushing really hard these last few weeks, so I’m hopeful, but we’ve got to get through the next few days.”
Kevin, what went into the factors for travel schedule, practicing Wednesday in Berea and how are the players? How do you see them acclimating to the travel and the changes?
“Yeah, there’s a bunch of different ways to do it. I know some teams come in early, some teams come in late. We kind of came right in the middle there on Wednesday night. We just felt like it was important for the players, coaches to have as normal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday as you can, because that’s the bulk of the game planning for the coaches. That’s a very big workday for the players on that Wednesday. So, we felt like that was the right time. And then, as you can see here, they make it very easy on us to have a normal Friday practice. The facility here is outstanding, and everything went really smoothly.”
What about tomorrow? Will you stay here?
“We’ll stay here, yes.”
Will kickers go to the stadium tomorrow?
“No.”
Can you talk about how Dillon (Gabriel) has looked, how he’s handled the week? Again, it’s a weird week. How is he doing?
“He’s handled it as you would expect, Mary Kay. He’s been on top of everything, preparing. He’s diligent about his preparation, so spending a lot of time with him. As you know, when you’re on these trips, you get to spend a lot of time together. You know, any given moment, you can go grab some time to go sit and watch some film. So, he’s taken advantage of that.”
I mean, for a rookie to come in and, this early in his career to start and gain the respect because, Grant (Delpit) and Joel (Bitonio) all talk about how impressed they’ve been about him. What does that say? What does that say about Dillon and what he’s done to earn that?
“Well, I think all these guys are different, and with Dillon, he’s unique and he’s very mature, but also his college career was like no other in terms of experience, so he can lean on that experience in these situations. All rookies are the same in terms of their experience, whether they come in. We have some guys that were 20 years old when we first drafted them, right? And then you have some guys that have been in college for six seasons, like Dillon, and he’s like Tom Callahan’s son, but he’s got a lot of experience that he can lean on in these moments.”
Coach, welcome over to London. Are you able to clarify the situation behind Dillon now, is Joe Flacco as the number two? Is Shedeur Sanders the number two?
“Yes, Joe’s the backup. Shedeur is the emergency quarterback.”
So, having made the move now with Dillon moving ahead of you, what would Shedeur need to do to move himself up?
“Yeah, all of our players, and I include Shedeur in this, are working extremely hard. We just finished our period after practice that we do every single day, just finished a red zone 7-on-7 period where Shedeur and the rest of the younger guys are working on 10 reps. So, he needs to continue to do exactly what he’s been doing and continue to do what all these guys are doing, which is just keep working.”
Was there anything factored into with Brian Flores, very difficult defense in Minnesota (Vikings). Did that play a role at all, or is that a factor you thought about with this decision at quarterback?
“Yeah, Coach Flores does an amazing job. I have a ton of respect for Flo and that entire defense, their staff, their players. So, it is a huge challenge. Whether you’re a seasoned vet or a rookie, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a big challenge any which way.”
In terms of the tackle situation for Dillon heading into this game, a little bit of uncertainty there, obviously. Do you know if Cam (Robinson) is ready to go on the left side?
“We’ll see, Mary Kay. He’s done a nice job in everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s very intelligent, he’s played in a bunch of different systems. He’s played over here quite a bit, so he’s kind of giving everybody tips of London. But he’s coming along, so we’ll see.”
And as far as Jack (Conklin) is concerned, how beneficial would it be for your lefty QB to have Jack over there?
“Yeah, sure. I think obviously we’ve been trying to get the right combinations there and see who’s healthy. And Jack’s working back, and like I said, I’m hopeful, but need to see how he does over the next 48 hours.”
How do you feel going against a team you are familiar with?
“Yeah, it’s always exciting when you can go up against a team that you know people well. You know, for me, so many coaches change, players change, and there’s so many people in that building that have been there for a long time, and I was there as a young, young coach and there’s still some people there that I stay in contact with. So, it’d be great probably in pregame to rhythm up and say hi to some people.”
What do you see, from Minnesota, they had some problems in Dublin last week. Do you see anything?
“Their offense or their defense, you say?”
Offensively, what have you seen from them?
“Well, obviously every game is a challenge, and every game is a different unique challenge and for us, we need to focus on doing all the things that we do in our system, and understand that they’ll have a plan for our rushers, they’ll have a plan in terms of how they want to attack this game, but we just have to make sure that we stay true to who we are.”
How do you plan to stop Jordan Addison back on the field alongside Justin Jefferson?
“Yeah, they’re two great, great players and they do an excellent job moving them around. Justin Jefferson is elite. Addison is really, really good. I mean, he can make everybody, every route he can get down the field with unbelievable speed. So, it’s a huge challenge. I feel like every week you’re going up against some of these guys that are just, they’re world beaters. I mean, this is a really, really good group of playmakers.”
How did Myles (Garrett) move around out there today? How did he look, and are you kind of relieved that he doesn’t have an injury designation today?
“Yeah, I think he looked like himself. Obviously moved around well, and that’s a credit to Myles to get himself ready for these games.”
About Cam, Wyatt (Teller) was saying earlier in the week that at the end of the day, plays are plays. They don’t ultimately change that much. What’s the biggest thing he had to do to transition from where he was in Houston to here? What’s the biggest hurdle?
“I think for any player, when you get to a new place, it so often is terminology, and translating one word that means something to another word that means something that’s the same. I mean, then you can get into it where our word may not mean exactly what their…he had a similar code word, so there’s just a lot of unlearning that has to happen. Fortunately for us, he’s very, very intelligent, he’s been in a bunch of different systems, so he’s kind of heard it all, quote, unquote. So, he’s done a nice job with this week. We’ll see how it goes over the next 48.”
Coach, one unique element that you have with London this week is James Cook coming home. Can you talk to us about how impressed you are with him so far in the organization?
“Yeah, James has done an outstanding job with us in just a short amount of time. You know, we were just talking about the period that we do after practice for our young players to develop them, and that’s really, James is running the show there. And at the Cleveland Browns, we’re very intentional about development, and having a guy like James heading that up, we’re very fortunate.
How would you specifically go to spend a Saturday before a game back in Cleveland? How’s that going to differ this week?
“Yeah, I’ll probably see a lot more of The Grove, go for a walk. Yeah, Saturday afternoons are kind of just get off your feet and watch TV or have the TV watch you.”
Do you think either of your rookie receivers, the guys that you signed off of the practice squad will have a chance to contribute?
“Yeah, I think so, Mary Kay. I think both are young players that we’re trying in different areas, see where they can contribute, whether it’s offense, special teams, but really, like, how those guys have been working.”
Coach, how much did this being an international game contribute into this being the first game for the rookie to start?
“It did not really factor into it. You know, there’s a lot that goes into making decisions like that, and certainly understanding that we were traveling and those types of things. But really, ultimately, when you’re making those decisions, you’re trying to just do what’s best for the team.”
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