Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (12.15.23)
Opening statement:
“Good week of preparation and we need one because this is a great challenge for us playing this football team, 3-1 in their last four. I think they’re playing really well. Ton of respect for Coach (Matt) Eberflus and his staff, a bunch of good players. So, we have to be at our best on Sunday and we’re looking forward to getting down there, looking forward to being in front of our fans. They’ve made a huge, huge difference in these ball games and I expect that this week as well. And with that, I’ll take any questions.”
With both of your starting safeties out for this game. Just what’s the outlook there?
“Yeah, there’s some guys that we trust back there, Mary Kay (Cabot), that have given us good reps. We have different options and combinations that we can work through. But bottom line is that’s why these guys work so hard throughout training camp, throughout the season to stay ready because you never know when your number is going to be called.”
Are you hoping that Ogbo (Okoronkwo) could come back?
“We are, yeah. No final confirmation just yet.”
How has Denzel (Ward) progressed?
“Yeah, I think he continues to progress every single day. I think he’s getting better. We’ll use the next 48 hours to see whether he can make it.”
Anthony (Walker Jr.) was added as questionable, something come up?
“Yeah, something came up. Tweaked something. But we’ll see how he does over the next – again, we’ll see how it goes.”
And then how about Nick (Harris)? How does he fill in for you at center now? He’s obviously going to start this game.
“We talked about Nick this week. He’s a guy that we trust. We’ve won with Nick. We know what it’s like with him in there. He plays at a high level, plays really hard, smart player. So we have a lot of trust in him. His teammates have a lot of trust in him. As you know, you’re right in the center of it all and he does a great job leading that because there’s so much communication that takes place there. So, you really don’t miss a beat when it comes to communication.”
Practice time is hard to develop players that aren’t getting the game reps in that, but a lot of players as we spoke about just how prepared these guys are as they step in. Just from your perspective, why have some of these back end players been so adept at stepping in these roles when they’ve been called upon?
“Yeah, I think that’s the NFL making sure the backups, especially the young guys, are aware that you’re in that game in a flash of an eye sometimes. And sometimes you get a heads up during the week that you might have a chance. Sometimes it’s the second play of the game and you’re in there. So really the messaging is always to stay ready because you just don’t know when your opportunity is going to come. And then I think the guys work very hard with their coaches. I think they work hard in the meeting room, work hard out there on the field, work extra because there’s no secret or there’s no special way just to get it. It’s going to take time, it’s going to take individual drills and I think the guys understand that.”
Does the menu get bigger for Joe now that he’s in start three? Can you add more to his plate as it goes on?
“I think you can. You’re always cognizant of what all of your players can handle, not just the quarterback. But I think to your point, Scott (Petrak), we’re learning more about him. He’s learning about us. And those types of conversations happen each week about things that he’s done in his past that he’s comfortable with and that are close to what we’ve done. It’s hard to totally revamp with a player this late, but I think you’re constantly having that communication throughout the week.”
Coach (Jim) Schwartz was rather effusive in his praise for Myles (Garrett) yesterday and how he played in those last couple of series last week. Do you think he just got to the point where it just got pissed off and it took him to another level?
“I mean, he was unbelievable in that game. He’s been unbelievable all season. He’s playing at an extremely high level. We talked about him earlier in the week. I don’t know if anybody understands what he does with the amount of attention he gets is truly remarkable. And maybe we, or maybe you, get used to it. I don’t. I appreciate how he does that. Particularly just watch the tight ends chipping him, then the line sliding to him, then the running backs chipping him and he still came through for us in a huge moment when we needed him. That’s kind of been the story of the season.”
The chips the last couple of weeks have almost turned into like the tight end staying in on patterns. Is that new?
“It’s not new. But again, when you’re a great football player, you’re going to get the attention. What’s again, I think unbelievable is how he still makes plays throughout that. And I think his effort plays speak to who he is, what he means to this team. And our team feeds off of that.”
What do you think of the eight turnovers Chicago scored the last two games. Seven of those have been interceptions. When you evaluated Chicago on film there, do you find that’s them making plays or them taking advantage of mistakes?
“They’re taking the ball away. I mean, they’re eleven in the last three. I think it’s nine interceptions in the last three. I think they intercepted Minnesota four times, Detroit five times in their last two games. It’s tipped balls. It’s making plays on the ball. It’s zone defenders being visual on the quarterback. They have great ball skills throughout their defense. So, it’s definitely a part of certainly their success recently. It’s also a part of their scheme. They’re playing a lot of visual zones and doing a very good job. So it’s really important that your entire offense is keyed in. It’s not just the quarterback, it’s everybody. From running the routes at the proper depth to having great protection to the offensive line. When it’s time to get the defensive lines hands down, that’s as important as anything.”
Were you fine with Myles kind of venting after the game about getting held?
“Yeah. As I’ve said it before, we’re not the thought police. Our guys can voice their opinions. Again, talked about it a little bit earlier, Mary Kay, but he gets a ton of attention. I remind the officials of it every game. Just so they’re aware that teams are going to be doing everything in their power to slow down 95. That’s what they’re talking about in their building. So, when he’s being clearly restricted, we expect it to be called.”
Kevin, Cole Kmet. What do you see out of him? And we talked about your safeties earlier. How is he a challenge for those young guys?
“Yeah, big challenge. Great size, great catch radius. A threat in that red zone, as you know, because he can go up and get the football. They utilize him really well and I think he’s got the trust of the quarterback.”
Kevin, are they doing anything different with Justin (Fields) over the last three or four weeks since he’s come back with a thumb injury? Because it seems like that offense is maybe running, operating a little better.
“He’s doing a nice job. I don’t know if it’s related to the time that he was out with the injury, but he’s doing a nice job. He’s a huge threat with the ball. I think he understands he’s trying to take care of himself maybe a little bit more and not take those big hits, but he’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong. Everything runs through him. He’s extremely dangerous. He has our attention. We’ve worked real hard this week to understand the ways in which he can beat you.”
Is he comparable to Lamar (Jackson)? Is there a comp there?
“It’s hard to compare guys. Just in general, you don’t want to do that. I would just tell you, Justin Fields, he’s got great strength, play strength. He’s fast. He can throw the ball to all areas of the field. They utilize him really well. Whether it’s on schedule in the quarterback-driven run game or it’s off schedule, he can make plays. So again, he’s a huge challenge.”
Ogbo coming back from the groin injury and then getting that pec injury and playing through that even still. What does that say about him? And does that speak to how this team has played this year?
“Yeah, I mean, I can’t say enough good things about Ogbo. Just what he’s provided on the field is one thing, but what he’s provided off the field is a whole other thing. Game day, he’s an unbelievable amount of energy and positive juice that he brings to the sideline, a guy that puts his teammates first. So his impact, while it’s huge on the field, it’s also huge off the field.”
Did Jordan (Elliott) get hurt during practice this week?
“Yeah, Jordan tweaked his leg yesterday. So similar with a lot of these guys, just want to see how he does over the next 48 hours.”
You’re known for being kind of that cool, complex guy, but this year, it seems like you got to have some frustration with all these injuries. How do you kind of stay the course when you see that, does it make it that much harder to stay cool?
“No. It’s a matter of fact. It’s part of our league. We’ve talked about it, we don’t like injuries. Nobody likes them. I feel very bad for our guys that we lose, especially guys that you lose for the season. You feel bad for them on a personal level, but we all have a job to do and that’s how we treat it.”
On some level off of that, is there satisfaction from you seeing your message, that steadiness that you give sort of coming through. Because we got guys in the locker room talking about just how tremendous of a job you and your staff has done, just keeping everybody sort of focused with all that kind of going on.
“Yeah, I think we have pros on our team. I think we have great leadership on our team. Our coaches understand the challenges week in and week out. But again, we have a job to do. We have a job to do this Sunday regardless.”
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