Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (11.29.23)
Opening statement:
“Okay, excited about the opportunity this week against the (Los Angeles) Rams, winners of two straight. We’re on the road here. Excited about the challenge in front of us. So we’re going to have a good work week here. Very thankful for UCLA, being generous and gracious hosts that we can get our work done here today, tomorrow, and Friday. So, very appreciative of that group. And that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to work. Looking at this game, it’s a good football team. Obviously, Coach (Sean) McVay does a great job with the team, does a great job with the offense. (Matthew) Stafford’s playing at a very high level. I got to see him quite a bit in the NFC North, and I think he’s playing better than he ever has in his career. I think he’s just seeing it. He’s physically so gifted. Just a great, smart football player. Really good players around him. They make life really hard with the things that they do on offense. Defensively, Coach (Raheem) Morris does a great job. You really have to be prepared for multiple looks, multiple fronts, multiple personnel groupings, good players throughout. Aaron Donald up front is as good as anybody. He’s elite, really, in everything he does. So huge challenge. And then special teams that do a nice job. Obviously, they have Lucas Havrisik as their kicker, who was with us back in the summertime. So it’s a good group, really, top to bottom, well coached. So we have to have a great work week. Going to wrap up here, I’m going to walk inside, going to have Jerry West speak to the team today, which is awesome, obviously, personally, just to meet him and shake his hand. And a legend in the game, not just as a player, but as a coach, as an executive. So thrilled that he’s able and gracious enough to give his time to our team and spend some time with us. So that’s what we’ll do before we get out here to practice. And with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Kevin, how are you dividing up first team quarterback reps today?
“Yeah, we’ll work through that throughout the week. Joe’s (Flacco) the backup this week as Dorian (Thompson-Robinson) is progressing through the protocol.”
So Dorian’s still in protocol?
“Correct.”
So he’s the backup to Dorian, so he’s number two?
“Correct. Yes.”
And will you kind of just see how the protocol goes before you’re ready to make any decisions?
“Exactly. Yeah, no reason to make any decisions just yet. We’ll see how it goes.”
How is Joe Flacco kind of getting up to speed on the offense and everything he needs?
“Yeah, no different than a lot of the pros that you bring in, whether it’s a lineman or a quarterback or a defensive back. You spend a lot of time in the meeting rooms, you spend a lot of time with your coaches to get ramped up. So, Joe’s done a nice job.”
Is DTR progressing? I mean, how have you seen him progress just from Sunday to now in terms of going through the protocol?
“It’s hard, Chris (Easterling). I just follow the protocol and make sure we’re doing everything safely and he’s following everything and we’ll just continue.”
When a quarterback gets here, he’s only been here a week plus and you might have to get him ready for Sunday. So what are you focused on specifically to say, okay, this is what we need to do for Sunday?
“Again, you know, Geron Christian went in there and played.”
But it’s different for a quarterback?
“Yeah, tell that to Geron. No, I mean I think there’s things that obviously with any player you want to make sure that they’re comfortable. Concepts that they see well and then again, you play all your players strengths.”
As you look at defensively, I guess. What is the biggest challenge heading into this week’s game?`
“Yeah, it’s all a challenge. I think they do a great job. Run game, pass game. They marry the run and the pass. They can run their play actions, their keepers. Their dropback game is really strong. Again, Matthew Stafford sees it so well, can throw the ball to every area of the field. Great receivers, tight ends, running backs, you name it. And then all the things they do pre snap with their motions, their shifts, their bunches, their stacks. It’s a big challenge for our defense.”
Do you still feel good about Myles’ (Garrett) chances to play Sunday?
“I do. He’s not going to practice today, but see how he goes through this week.”
How about Amari (Cooper)?
“Similar. You know, going to give him a day off today but see how he feels tomorrow.”
Normal Wednesday practice? I know again a couple weeks ago with all the injuries you sort of tapered it back.
“Yeah. So normal, based on what we’ve done the last few weeks, we’re going to do a very similar program, yes.”
Do you have a line in the sand where if DTR isn’t cleared by Thursday by tomorrow you’ll be ready to name Joe your starter?
“No, I’m just going to work throughout the week, Mary Kay (Cabot) and just kind of take it day-by-day.”
Are you optimistic Denzel (Ward) might practice this week?
“We’ll see.”
After Ced Tillman had the game he had on Sunday. What’s kind of next for him? What do you want to see next in his progress?
“Like any young player, Dan (Labbe), you want to continue to grow in your role. We had him in there in a lot of dirty work and he’s blocking and he’s very physical. I think you saw in the game the other night, he’s very physical. And then you grow into your package of plays and there’s certain plays that ball’s likely going to come his way and it did. And then he does what he’s supposed to do, which is catch it and make a play. So you’re always looking for young players to be dependable and I think Ced had a nice start to that the other day.”
Did Joe get any full team reps last week or was he just like…?
“No.”
So this is the first time?
“Correct.”
How’s he looking?
“Good. Yeah, I mean, Joe, you guys have been around Joe, big, strong arm. Obviously, he can make every throw, but he’s done a very nice job in the meeting room, getting to know his teammates, getting to know the assistants. He’s done a nice job.”
How much to say that you’ll have to tailor the offense a little bit around Joe’s skill set versus the other quarterbacks you have used who can really run and make plays outside the pocket?
“I think you have to. You’ve got to tailor it to all eleven of your guys and certainly [the] quarterback.”
How much is just going – I know he’s on the sideline Sunday in Denver. How much is just kind of seeing how everything works on a game day, that operation, how much did that help?
“Yeah, I think Joe, as you guys know, has been in a bunch of different systems, been in a bunch of different buildings, so he knows how it works. He knows how different operations have a different nuance, if you will. So, he’s getting up to speed with what we do. He’s done a nice job.”
Is there any way to manufacture some of that timing that the quarterbacks receivers were so hard to get? Whether it’s extra reps or whatever you can do during practice?
“Yeah, it’s just extra reps. It’s just working hard here on the practice field, even in the meeting rooms, talking through our guys and different skill sets and those type of things.”
I mean, you guys put in hours every week. Are there any extra hours involved?
“I wish. I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day. There’s not, last time I checked. The nice part is we’re all under one roof, so it’s easy to meet extra on an off day. If the guys are in the building and they want to swing by, that’s the nice part. We’re all together.”
You got the hoodie on. Do you miss the snow back home?
“Is it snowing? I didn’t hear that. No, I did hear that. I heard there wasn’t a snow day for my kids, so they were disappointed. But no, we came here, logistically, it helps obviously, with the trek back and forth to Cleveland, to the West coast, so just felt like this was the right thing to do. But the bottom line is we’re going to get our work in and the guys understand that.”
When you have a big armed quarterback like Joe, does that widen the eyes of an Amari, knowing that you can get somebody down to field shot?
“Amari doesn’t get wide eyed for anything, I don’t think. But all those guys, Mary Kay, I think they want to just understand all of our quarterbacks. How does P.J. (Walker) throw this route versus how does our receiver come out of this route, Dorian, how does he see it? So it varies by guy. There’s different comfort levels with certain concepts with each guy. So I think our quarterback’s job is to adjust to receivers.”
I’m sure you’ve seen over the years, quarterbacks just get thrown into the fire and just have sort of an instant timing and chemistry. Have you seen examples of that?
“Yeah, I mean, I think you guys see across the league, and this year is no different. There’s a lot of backup quarterbacks that are playing. We’re no different, and we have a certain standard that we play by as an offense, as a team, and it doesn’t really change based on who’s in there.”
Does Joe’s experience, Super Bowl MVP, does that carry cachet in that locker room and with guys on the field, assuming that he has to start Sunday?
“Yeah, I think veterans in general, Jake (Trotter), when you come in and you’re a veteran and you’ve seen a lot, I think young guys certainly can gravitate towards that. But I think Joe lets his history speak for itself. He’s just trying to be a good teammate.”
He said first time we talked to him that he kind of wanted to prove that he still could play and be part of the team with the guys. Have you seen that from him? Of the guys noticing that about him?
“I think it’s so early. So I think more than anything, and that’s where this trip is helpful, it’s getting around your teammates and getting to know your teammates. I think that’s as important.”
Jerry West today, do you have stuff planned, like, every day for this?
“Nothing. Nothing like an NBA hall of famer. But we’ll stick to Jerry today.”
Do you know him?
“I don’t know him personally. He knows my dad. So there’s a connection there, but looking forward to spending some time with him.”
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