Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (7.28.23)
Do you view this day with pads as kind of an acclamation period, or do you want to see some hitting?
“No, I think really this whole first part of training camp for us prior to the Hall of Fame game, it’s all acclimation. So, with the pads going on, what we’re going to do today is really focus on technique. As you know, Tony (Grossi), sometimes the pads go on and technique goes out the window. So we’re going to spend a ton of time in individual today and really tomorrow we’ll have what will look like an offense versus defense, padded practice – more so tomorrow. Today is a shorter workout in time, but heavy emphasis on individual and high intensity.”
Kevin, Jacob (Phillips) and Mike Harley both left yesterday. Any update on that?
“I think Jacob should be back. I think Mike may be held out, but we’ll see.”
What was the issue?
“Jacob, just a little bit of the reaction of the heat and Mike possible head injury.”
That acclimation process, how much of it is CBA related? How much of it is just sport science and analytics?
“I think it’s a combination of both, Tony. I think it’s we’re fortunate with the Hall of Fame game, we get to acclimate like this. So number one, we have extra days to be able to do that. But number two, the rules are as such where it limits the amount of time that you can be out here each day. There has to be a ramp up in time, there has to be a ramp up in contact and those types of things. So, it’s a combination of both.”
So you think tomorrow will be the first time you get, like, offensive line, defensive line?
“Yeah, correct.”
Kevin, you’ve been an afternoon practice coach. Where here it’s in the morning, is it a totally different schedule?
“What we did was they don’t have an indoor facility here, so if it were to rain, you have no recourse down here with no indoors. Just talking to some of the locals before we get down here, they said if it rains, it’s in the afternoon. So that was the idea behind practicing in the morning. Obviously, it’s hotter in the afternoon down here. We do need to acclimate to the heat as well. So hopefully we have some practices here. It’ll be hot. It was hot yesterday, it’ll be hot today. And then hopefully when we get back up to Berea, it’ll be hot. Because as we know, it’s going to be steamy in Kansas City at noon. Lord knows it can be very hot on September 10th at 1:00 in Cleveland. So we have to acclimate the heat as well.”
We’re not a mile high, but we are like 10000ft elevation here. Have trainers or players seen any results of that?
“I haven’t heard anything. Yeah, I haven’t. It’s a mountain state, right?”
Well, with Juan Thornhill, can you feel his energy and how valuable is it?
“Yeah, for sure. I think when you have safeties, you oftentimes hear them, the quarterback of the defense, and there’s so much communication that takes place from that position. So to have a guy like Juan, you know a Rodney McLeod, Grant (Delpit) as he gets into his third year, you have guys that are very vocal because they’ve played a lot of reps. And certainly Juan, with the amount of games that he’s played, the big games that he’s played, you certainly feel that.”
Kevin, Wyatt (Teller) obviously had the calf issue last year. How much, looking back on it, did that injury sort of linger and really impact the way he played from the moment he got through the end of the season?
“That’s a good question. I think Wyatt could probably answer that better than I can. But I would tell you where he is right now, he’s in a great spot physically. He’s got a very good understanding of what we’re doing, so he’s doing a good job. But I think you’d probably have to ask him.”
Do you expect to see Amari (Cooper) in pads today or tomorrow?
“I do. I think Amari’s going to be able to go today.”
And will he do everything?
“We’re going to ramp him up, but he’s making good progress.”
Have you seen guys respond to Juan’s leadership even though he’s a new player here, both on and off the field?
“I think, as you guys know, everybody’s players are keenly aware of guys that have Super Bowl rings, and Juan’s had a ton of success. He’s played at a high level over there in Kansas City. That’s instant credibility with your teammates and then just to see how he works, he’s a guy that fits in very well with our team, with our guys and with our mentality.”
Kevin, Jim (Schwartz) was talking back in OTAs or minicamp about really not being able to see anything until you get the physical game. Not being able to see anything, really, until you get to this point. I know it’s always evaluation, but how much do the evaluations change once you start getting that full contact?
“That’s a big piece of it. As you guys know. You think about the spring, really, the rules are written that you can only do seven on seven in the spring, competitively. Right? So you learn a lot about your pass game, but then having said that, the DBs can’t put their hands on a receiver. As you progress into camp, you can make a fairer assessment of our players and our corners and press and how guys get off of blocks and those types of things prior to the pads going on.”
If you didn’t have an extra week of practice, would the five days of practice look different?
“They would, yes.”
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