Kevin Stefanski on defeating Baltimore, Deshaun Watson, player injury updates, and more: Transcript
Okay. Injury front, I don’t really have updates just yet. Those are pending. On the film, just what you saw live – guys battled, knew it was going to be a 60 minute game and it was. Really some standout performances [on] offense, defense and special teams. Some big plays, plays that we needed to make, we made them. Wasn’t perfect. Plenty to clean up and that’s what today is about. And then we’ll turn the page and we’re on to Pittsburgh. Two 6-3 football teams, two AFC North teams, so excited about the opportunity. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Hey, the offensive line yesterday, being down two tackles and just the way they were able to pull together as a group. Can you just speak to that?
“You know, I thought they, by and large played really well. Again, there’s always things to clean up. We had four sacks. Really, one was on a quick, one was on an RPO, one was on a bad call by me on third and two. So, I just thought those guys battled like crazy. That’s a very good front. Leading the league in sacks. They run a ton of games. They run them well. So, I thought those guys were in tune in the pass game and then run game again, a very stout front. Wasn’t easy, wasn’t always pretty, but made some big plays in there.”
And I know you enjoyed the kind of the cluster play there around Jerome (Ford) at the end. Do you think, not to make too much of it, Kevin, but in some ways, does that kind of symbolize what this season’s been for you guys? Just kind of pushing forward?
“You can write it, Tom (Withers), but I like effort plays. We coach effort. We talk about effort. We talked about [how] that game was going to require a 60 minute effort and to see all those guys, especially Elijah (Moore) in the back. His teammates got a kick out of that one.”
Kevin, I know you don’t have results yet, but do you anticipate that Deshaun (Watson) will undergo an MRI today, further tests on the ankle? And how do you anticipate him being for Sunday?
“Yeah, I can’t get into Sunday just yet, Mary Kay (Cabot). Just…I don’t have those MRI results just yet on our guys, but we’ll see where we are when Wednesday rolls around.”
But he did undergo an MRI or he will undergo one today.?
“Yes.”
Kevin, you mentioned some of that effort and we saw it again on Sunday with David Njoku and his catches and the yards he gets afterwards. What can you say about the effort that he puts into those? And what does that do for his teammates around him when they see him push so hard for those extra yards?
“Yeah, Dave’s a great leader for this football team. He leads by action, he leads by words. He’s so positive on game day, in the huddle, on the sideline, he was very upset with himself early with a drop, but he made up for it. It’s no secret he’s a very, very good football player for us. We’re looking to find ways to get him the football.”
