Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (9.27.24)

 

Opening Statement:

“Okay, heading out to practice in a bit. Going to have a good Friday practice and then get on the airplane out to Las Vegas. We’ll have a walk-through while we’re out there tomorrow and then looking forward to the opportunity to compete on Sunday. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”

 

Hey, Kevin, I had a couple of injury things for you. Saw David (Njoku) on the field yesterday. Do you expect him to practice again today? 

“He won’t. He’ll be out this week.”

 

He’ll be out this week?
“Yeah.”

 

And then Jerome (Ford) and Myles (Garrett) were both out there, too yesterday. How’d they come through? 

“Good. So, they’ll practice today and then we’ll make determinations. But they look good.”

 

Hey, Kevin. Just wondering, do you have any more clarity, not that you’re going to tell us, but do you have any more clarity on what might happen for you at left tackle this week? 

“Yeah, I think you have to get through Friday practice for sure, Mary Kay (Cabot). But I know we have options. There are things that we can do based on who’s available. So, I think that’s the biggest thing is understanding that you have to get through a full week of practice, see where you land and then make a determination from there.”

 

Will Jed (Jedrick Wills Jr.) or Jack (Conklin) practice? Are they practicing today? 

“They will not. They’ll both be out.”

 

Are you ruling them out for the game? Either of them? 

“Yes, both guys. Jack Conklin, Jed Wills, David Njoku, Pierre Strong are out. Will not practice today.”

 

Yeah, Kevin, when you guys run the ball, we’ve seen you’ve been able to put those nice, long drives together. Just even with the offensive line challenges, just how important is it even though you want to throw it, to really get that run game going?

“We want to score points any which way we can; run, pass. We’ve had some success in the RPO game where it goes down as a throw, but we kind of see it as an extension of the run game, too. So, anything that moves the football down the field, gets us in the end zone, we’re looking forward to doing with our team. Obviously, in the run game and the pass game we need to be more efficient in both areas, and ultimately, that’s where explosives tend to come, when you’re staying efficient in those areas.”

 

Kevin, with Jed, there was a report that the MRI came back clean. So, do you expect it to be not a long-term thing with him? 
“Yeah, I’m just really focused on this week, Scott (Petrak). We’ll figure out where that goes for next week.”

 

And then the (Las Vegas) Raiders rookie tight end (Brock) Bowers, what has he shown you in these first few games? 
“Yeah, he’s excellent. He was drafted up there in the first round for a reason. They have really two good tight ends. I think (Michael) Mayer is very good as well. But Bowers in particular; very athletic, can block, fast, can make you miss when he gets the ball in his hand. So, a complete tight end. He’s a very good football player.”