Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (12.6.23)
Opening statement:
“Okay, before we get to the game, I just want to acknowledge Anthony Walker Jr., the Cleveland Browns, Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. Incredible influence on this football team, in the locker room, on the field, and then in our community. I think he does an amazing job, sets a great example for all of our players on how to be a pro, how to make an impact – again, both on your football team and on your community. So really proud of AWalk. And then his teammates, which I think is a big deal, voted him the Ed Block Courage Award winner, which is always when it’s voted on by your peers, I think it means something really special. And for him to come back from the injury that he had, those are hard. And to rehab the way he did and to come back and play well for us again, huge impact. And then I don’t know if you guys know, but he was out of practice last week, last Wednesday, and just to overcome ordering oysters on DoorDash, think about how hard that is to overcome. And he did. I don’t know if that factored into the voting by his teammates, but I just want to acknowledge that fact [joking]. On the (Jacksonville) Jaguars, really good football team, playoff team last year, leading their division this year. Talented football players, talented coaches. I know a lot of their coaches. I think Doug (Pederson) does a great job with their team, with their offense. Really a huge challenge. Just the way they have schemed up their run and their pass, a huge challenge. Defensively, Coach (Mike) Caldwell does an awesome job. They’re playing at a very high level, physical, great players at all levels of the defense, an impressive unit. So a tough matchup. And then special teams. Heath Farwell is their special teams coordinator. I know Heath really well. They’re sound, they’re physical. So, it’s a huge challenge. It’s an AFC opponent at our place. We’re excited about that challenge. But this is a really good football team, so we have to have a great week of practice and we’ve started that with our meetings and our preparation today. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Who’s going to start at quarterback Sunday?
“We’ll see how it goes this week. Dorian (Thompson-Robinson) is still in the protocol, but he’s working his way through.”
He wasn’t on the pre-practice injury report. So he’s going to practice?
“He’s going to practice, yes.”
I mean, he was a starter and got hurt and Joe (Flacco) comes in. So how do you handle making that decision?
“Yeah, we’ll make that decision at the appropriate time, but I want to see know this week goes.”
You have Denzel Ward, he’s not on the pre-practice injury report. How important is it that you’re going to get him back for this game?
“Yeah, again, that’s with Denzel, he makes a huge impact on our football team. So get him back out at practice today, see how he does.”
How about Marquise (Goodwin)? Has he cleared the protocol or is he still in that process?
“Yeah, I don’t know that he’s all the way through, but he’s trending that way and will practice today. And again, with all these guys, whether it’s concussion or otherwise, you really have to get them out on the practice field, see how they look, and then make a decision.”
What is AWalk’s leadership style? The way that he leads just that locker room, and obviously being a captain includes a factor in that, but how is he a leader for this team?
“Yeah, it’s a good question. I think he’s very authentic. He’s the same guy every single day. Same guy when we’re up, same guy when we’re down. Provides great leadership just in being that voice in the locker room. Does a great job of encouraging his teammates one-on-one. There’s so much leadership that nobody sees, and I just know that he’s in our building providing a really positive impact really, every day.”
Joe on Sunday, everything looked just a little crisper and cleaner in terms of play action, things like that. Were you surprised at how all those little nuances of faking the handoff or dropping his shoulder, all that kind of stuff came back to him so naturally?
“Yeah, I think he’s a pro, he’s been around, he’s been very well coached in his career, so all those nuances like you mentioned, Tom (Withers), about the play action game, he’s been coached up very hard on those things. So, not surprised, but it’s something that he’s worked hard at throughout his career.”
I know obviously the injuries have factored into this week-to-week quarterback thing, but you feel like you’re going to at some point here, be able to settle one guy for this team to really gel around here as you go through this stretch run.
“Yeah, I think for us, we really have to – as you’ve seen throughout this season, you really have to worry about the week you’re in and focus on the week you’re in, and that’s really what we’re going to do. We talked every week, it’s how do you win this game? That’s what you’re focused on.”
Are some of the things that maybe Dorian was starting to show you that if he is completely strong, might make this a little bit of a difficult decision for you?
“Yeah, I think Dorian continues to get better. We’ve talked about him, Mary Kay (Cabot), just think back to preseason, got better throughout the preseason. I think he has gotten better throughout this season. I think we’ve all seen his skill set, know what type of player he is, but I think he’s working very hard to continue to improve as this season wears on.”
Jed Wills, he could start practicing today, I think. Will he be out there?
“We’ll see. We’ll update you as more information comes out.”
It’s a part of the game that you guys talk about next man up a lot, but how have you seen this team specifically respond this season with all of the injuries you’ve faced and having to take it week by week. How has this group actually responded?
“Yeah, I think the guys have done a nice job, Cam (Justice), and that’s something that is not unique to the Cleveland Browns. Injuries happen to everybody and it’s week to week and our guys understand that because that’s the reality of the NFL. So those are things that we deal with in game, in week and like we’ve talked about, nobody likes injuries, nobody wants to see their teammates out for a game or a quarter or the season. But they also know that we have a job to do and I think they’ve recognized that when it’s time to step up, you have to.”
Speaking on injuries, Jaguars are dealing with a major one there with Trevor (Lawrence). How do you balance the potential of him playing but also getting ready for C.J. Beathard?
“Yeah, he’s a great player. I mean makes every throw, athletic, have a ton of respect for him. He’s played and played hurt before, so we’ll see how this week goes and whether or not he makes it. But he’s a great player and there’s tape on both guys with Beathard, there’s tape on him as well, so we know what his strengths are and he led the team the other night and put them in position. So, he’s a very heady football player.”
Kevin, this is a little bit of an unusual situation because one of the quarterbacks is still in the protocol. If Dorian clears the protocol and is able to practice all week, can you say then he’d be your starter or you still have a decision?
“Yeah, I think we got to see how it goes. I think that’s what’s important in this situation. Dorian obviously hasn’t cleared just yet, but he’s going to practice, so I want to see how it looks.”
I know you talked Sunday and then on Monday about getting clarification on the sort of false start moving the ball. Did you get any more clarification on that? And I guess is that just something that’s unique to just situationally, what we’re seeing with I know you mentioned the brotherly shove situation.
“I talked to the league, I’m not going to get into all the specifics. I would tell you it’s definitely a point of emphasis for them right now, whereas it wasn’t we’ve gone many years here with that not being called, but now that’s how they’re officiating it, we have to obviously abide by the rules to the ‘T’ and we’re not trying to skirt any rules in these scenarios. We’re not trying at all to gain advantage, but we have to adjust based on how they’re calling it.”
They give you point of emphasis, like pregame, right? Do they talk you through..?
“There’s videos that go out each week and then you kind of know, kind of through the grapevine and then pregame. Yes. I talk to the officials every game about certain things.”
Ethan (Pocic) said you didn’t get a warning. Would that be common for them to tell a guy, ‘Hey, watch this, that.’?
“They definitely warn you on certain things. A lot of times what happens, I think in every single game, they warn your tackle about being too deep. That happens every week. And then you tell the tackle to move up. In this case, we did not get a warning. I don’t know if that’s something that moving forward, they will do. I think that would be fair. In this instance, if you see it on a second and five and you see a movement that you would deem illegal or false, start whatever it may be, I think that would be fair. Ethan’s going to work hard to make sure that this doesn’t happen, and we’re going to coach it up as such.”
Can he just adjust the ball so the laces are where he wants them, or how does that work?
“Yeah, it’s interesting. I’ve studied more center ball handling than ever have in my life this week, Jeff (Schudel). I think each guy’s a little bit different. Some guys take it and roll it, some guys move it back, some guys move it forward. Sometimes when you’re leaning back to talk to the quarterback or the other players, you may move the ball a little bit. So, there’s obviously a little bit of movement that goes on with every single play. I think the league is trying to make sure that there’s no unfair advantage gained by the offense in these situations.”
Studying that, does Ethan kind of move it the same way every time? Did that feel, like, consistent with how he does it?
“Pretty consistent, yeah.”
I know it’s only been a couple of days for Amari (Cooper), but how have you seen him improve? Have you seen improvement out of him?
“Yeah. When it comes to the protocol, you just have to follow it to a ‘T’, and that’s what we’ll do.”
What’s your DoorDash order?
“Yeah, I think I have the app, but that’s kind of my wife that handles the DoorDash for us.”
So you install the RPOs for Flacco this week?
“You’re going to have to see, Tom.”
He’s the conventional quarterback, right? He’s the straight drop back, whatever. Is there still a place for that in the NFL? I mean, with all the talk of mobile quarterbacks?
“Yeah, obviously. Yes, in his instance. I just think you certainly have seen, and we’ve all seen this position go through different changes. I was just talking about Randall Cunningham yesterday actually, where he was ahead of his time. Just think about what he would be doing in this league. But it’s cyclical, maybe. But there are multiple ways to play this position. There are multiple ways to be impactful for your offense. And regardless of who our quarterback is, you have to play through the strengths of your quarterback.”
One of the great mysteries, besides who your quarterback is every week this season is there seems to be a little bit of a disparity in the defense home versus road. Have you noticed that? And what do you think has led to that? Is it just the road environment, the advantage you’re playing at home?
“Yeah, I think you have to be careful with sample size always. I will tell you, we like playing at home. We do. I like having our crowd into it. I like the juice that it gives our defense. I like that it makes life hard on the opposing offense. Having said that, you still want to play good defense, good offense on the road as well. But I do think we have a very distinct home-field advantage.”
What do you think about Josh Allen for them?
“He’s a premier pass rusher. He’s good. I say pass rusher, but he’s good versus the run as well. He can win in a variety of ways off the edge, has an unbelievable motor, just doesn’t stop. And (Travon) Walker on the other side a challenge as well. So they have two really good ends in a really good defense. It’s a top defense for a reason. I think it’s a really good scheme. They can pressure the quarterback. They can stop the run. I think they’re good in the back end. They take the ball away. So, it’s a huge challenge.”
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