TEs coach Drew Petzing (12.18.20)

Tight ends coach Drew Petzing:

On what opened things up for TE David Njoku to be more involved last week: 

“I think it is just kind of how the game played out. He has done a great job these last couple of weeks of really embracing his role and going out and playing at a high level. It was good to see him make a couple of plays with the ball in his hand. He has really come on strong here these last couple of weeks.”

On how TE Austin Hooper looks this week and expectations for Hooper when returning: 

“He picked up right where he left off. He has had a really, really strong season for us. Obviously, it was tough losing him at the end of the week there to a neck injury, which is too bad. He has bounced back great. He had a great week of practice. Really excited to see him back out on the field.”

On TE Harrison Bryant’s development this season: 

“I have been really pleased with kind of how his year is going. He is taking on a lot of different roles, especially with Hoop missing some games from the appendectomy and David missing some games early in the season, to jump in at multiple spots on a moment’s notice, play a lot of snaps in this offense and do it at a really high level. I have been really pleased with not only the production but the growth that we have seen for him as a player as he has gotten more and more reps. He is doing a great job for us.”

On Chief of Staff Callie Brownson filling in for him during the Jaguars game and how valuable Brownson has been to the staff: 

“She has been awesome. There are no words to express what she means to this organization, to our staff and to me individually. She has been great to work with. Really, really impressive in terms of the way she attacks her job and really how much she does. She has her hand in every aspect of our organization. To have somebody like that to rely on when there are a lot of reasons in 2020 that you could miss a game or miss a practice and to have someone like her in the building it is very reassuring. She has done an amazing job.”

On if he talked to Browns players about how Brownson’s debut as an assistant coach went and if Brownson could be an assistant coach in the future: 

“Oh, yeah. I was a little nervous about getting Wally Pipp-ed to be perfectly honest – I am just glad they let me back into my own job (laughter). It was great. Obviously when everything kind of happened quickly there, which it can, I was not nervous at all. I know just talking to the guys in the room that they did not miss a beat, and they felt like things were basically as they would be normally. Talking to them after the game, kind of the same reaction. Her composure, her ability to adapt and to attack any job, it showed up in every way possible throughout those couple of days there during the Jacksonville week.”

On what has impressed him the most about Brownson this season: 

“It is kind of what I said a second ago, to have your hand in so many different aspects of an organization from coaching, operations, logistics and equipment and to be someone that I know (Head Coach) Kevin (Stefanski) relies heavily on, that the coaches rely heavily on and that the players rely heavily on and to wear all of those hats and do it with her composure and at such a high level is really unique and speaks to her ability and the reason why she is in that role and why she is so valuable to the organization.”

On the NY Giants DL: 

“It is a really good front. Aside from just the raw talent and the raw size of the front, it is a really well-coached group. You see that on tape in terms of the way they play multiple fronts and multiple differences, and the linebackers in terms of how they fit everything, it is clearly very well organized and very well run. They play at a really high level. It is going to be a big challenge for us this week.”

On how much change goes into using TEs when Hooper is out: 

“It is always hard when you lose a guy of Austin’s caliber to kind of just say, ‘Hey, we are going to go business as usual.’ To the same token, we feel really good about four guys in that room, which I think is unique. I think maybe us more than maybe some other teams – I am not going to speak for other people’s roster – we still feel comfortable if this is the gameplan that whether it is (TE Stephen) Carlson jumping in, Njoku or Harrison that we can really run our offense how we design it through the course of the week. I think you saw that on Monday night, which was good to see.”

On how the TEs have contributed to the team’s blocking success this season: 

“It has been a huge point of emphasis for us. You think back to April, May and June, we knew that was going to be a big part of our role as a group, and I know those guys really embraced that from the get go. We take a lot of pride. When we hear those conversations about our offensive line and our run game, we personally take a lot of pride because we do feel like we are a big part of that. We have had some tough matchups, and those guys have handled it really well so it has been fun to watch.”

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