HEAD COACH JESSE MINTER
Opening Statement: "I appreciate you guys being here. We were able to take advantage of the extra time [of] really looking at ourselves in a self-analysis, self-scout mentality over the last few days. What can I do better? What can we do better as coaches? What can we do better as players? Then, when it comes to scheme, who we're asking to do what, playing time, who do we have in the lineup – I mean, kind of everything, I would say. And now as the guys come back tomorrow, we'll give a little bit of a reset to where we're at with the guys tomorrow. We'll be in a race to improve this week. I look forward to a great challenge, but it's really about us. When you look at what we could be better at, it's about us and what we can do better – having an identity, a really, really solid identity in all three phases that can show itself when it matters most. That's what we're after, so [I'll open it up for] questions."
With QB Lamar Jackson, what are the chances of him being able to return at some point this season? (Jamison Hensley) "I'm going to keep most of the conversations between Lamar [Jackson] and I between Lamar and I. Again, just like before, it's a guy when you're dealing with something [where] nobody wants to be on the field more, [he's] probably going to do everything he can to put himself in position, but I'll leave it at that."
Is surgery required? Does QB Lamar Jackson need surgery? (Jerry Coleman) "I'm going to keep all that stuff between me and [Lamar Jackson]."
So, we won't know if QB Lamar Jackson has surgery? (Kyle Goon) "You may know, but that'll come from [Lamar Jackson]."
This is the first time you get to talk about QB Jacoby Brissett. What do you think he can do skill-wise that can help this offense? (Kyle Goon) "[Jacoby Brissett is] an 11-year vet that has played for a bunch of different teams [and] played in a bunch of different systems. I think he'll operate our offense at a level required to be successful. We're really excited about the addition, and he's just a very mature pro that I think will bring a leadership style to our offense from the quarterback position. We are excited to add him, and I think again, he'll get the ball out on time; he'll be able to kind of run the whole thing. He'll be a leader. He'll hold guys accountable, and I'm just excited about the addition and the chance that it gives us to kind of spark this thing."
Just with QB Lamar Jackson, is it accurate to say that it's a fracture and a dislocation on the thumb? (Brian Wacker) "Again, that is specifics [that I will] keep between me and [Lamar Jackson]."
With the Los Angeles Chargers and what they're going through, you know head coach Jim Harbaugh as probably as well as anybody around here. What do you think he's doing there to kind of right the ship? (Jamison Hensley) "I love [Chargers head coach] Jim Harbaugh, and a lot of people in that building – obviously [Chargers general manager] Joe Hortiz, the defensive staff – I mean those are guys I worked with, most of them, for the previous four years [and] to obviously all the players. They're going to work. They're going to keep their head down. They're going to search for improvement. They're going to try to find things each week that they can get better at and try to get better at them. I think he's a leader through adversity. I've always been really impressed with him over the last couple years when you go through a game or two stretch or whatever, they've had a few stretches there, and I was always just really impressed with his ability to keep the team intact, keep them motivated, find improvement, find little things to get better at every day and hold players accountable. I mean, that's what Jim's doing."
When you talk about a reset, are we going to see significant changes to the lineup on Monday night? Are we going to see schematic differences that are going to be obvious even to the fans in the stands? (Childs Walker) "I think that's for our team. But, I definitely feel like a couple days gives you a chance to really look and really dig deep. I think first and foremost, making sure that the identity that we talk about that we want is not just talk. Sometimes that can get lost as you're racing each week to try to get a game plan in and do things. I'm excited for us to sort of re-establish our identity. [With] lineup changes, I think those are all [on an] individual basis. But there's certain things that we have to have really high standards for. So, we'll see how it all shakes out."
With the self-scouting among coaches as well – I think offensive coordinator Declan Doyle talked about this a couple of weeks ago and looking at things and constantly evaluating – is that something you're even looking at in terms of responsibilities or play-calling even on your plate? (Brian Wacker) "No."
We've asked you a lot about CB Marlon Humphrey coming off a disappointing season by his own admission last year. Halfway through this season, what are you seeing from him? Not saying there hasn't been any good, but the not-so-good has been very glaring at times. Are you getting enough consistency from him considering his stature? (Luke Jones) "I think Marlon [Humphrey] would be the first to tell you that the consistency hasn't been what any of us want. I do think there's been some good. I think there's been little things that you focus on that you see improvement in, and then something else happens, or something else happens. So, I think with everybody, especially the whole secondary, explosive plays are, more often than not, more than one person. There are times where it's a one-on-one ball down the field, I get that. But a lot of times it's a defensive thing, a play-call thing, everything. So, we're looking at all that. But again, I think there's a consistency level in the secondary in particular that we need to find [and] that we'll keep looking for."
CB Marlon Humphrey and maybe a couple other veterans, including T Ronnie Stanley and TE Mark Andrews, have kind of struggled. How hard is it, basically, to continue to say — I'm not saying you're saying this, but just in general — look, there's a track record there; they've played a lot of great football — when the team is kind of nearing must-win range? How hard is it to continue to be patient with those guys if you're not seeing what you need to see? (Jeff Zrebiec) "There's a level of respect you have for a player that's done it for a long time. But at the same time, we've got to look at where we're at right now. And we've got to look at what's happened this season or what's happened in the last year, whatever. So, that's what I think the reset gives you a chance to really look at. We'll see how it shakes out."
In regard to QB Jacoby Brissett, how long has he been able to be in the building and acclimate himself with the offense? Do you expect him to hit the ground running and be available next Monday? (Jerry Coleman) "[Jacoby Brissett]'s been around most of the weekend. [Quarterbacks] Coach 'Izzy' [Israel Woolfork] was able to spend a bunch of time with him. Obviously they have a relationship from a previous stop. I expect him to hit the ground running. We'll pick up kind of an extra day with the guys tomorrow, begin kind of a normal week of practice on Wednesday to get a day ahead [and] pick up an extra day later in the week. I think especially with us playing on Monday, for his circumstance it's good to allow him as much time as possible. I do expect him to be our starter on Monday night."
Do you have any update on S Kyle Hamilton's injury and whether he might be available Monday? (Childs Walker) "I think everything looks fairly good. We'll find out as the guys come back in tomorrow, but I wouldn't expect that to be something where — hopefully [Kyle Hamilton] doesn't miss time."
A couple times in the last few games you've talked about some of the explosive plays the defense let up. You talked about the play-calling being a little more aggressive trying to keep the game within reach. Because of some of the injuries the offense has sustained and the type of football you guys have had to play, how far out of sort of your idealized defense are you playing? Have you changed the way you call things? (Kyle Goon) "I don't even know that that's a fair question. I mean, it's a fair question, but to be fair to our players, we're trying to win every situation [and] every game. Every game's different. I think I have a core philosophy of what it takes to play good defense. There's times where that shows up. There's times where it doesn't. There's times where the game and the situation and what's going on on the other side of the ball maybe forces your hand to try to generate something, to generate plays. I probably take as much pride of not giving up explosives as any defensive coach in the league, and obviously that's not showing up. So, it's all lip service right now. That's really, to me, major concern No. 1 from a defensive standpoint is limiting the explosive plays. And if somebody goes on an 18-play drive and scores a touchdown on us, [you] tip your hat [and] find different ways to get them off rhythm [and] do things like that. But [the] one play [where they're] getting behind a coverage or whatever, those are the plays we have to eliminate. Even if you look at the last couple games against high-powered teams and offenses and our offensive situation obviously, if you don't let them throw it over your head, those are probably games getting into the fourth quarter where you're a play or two away from changing the outcome of the game. That's really kind of the hope in going in. Then again, [there were] a couple times probably, looking back at it, [where] you get too aggressive and you open yourself up to that. But, I always look at myself first and that's the way I'll always do it. But yes, my philosophy on how we need to play needs to show up. That's my responsibility, so that's what I'll say about that."
With the penalties, particularly pre-snap, I think you guys had 24, which I think is the most in the league. I know you've been asked about this a couple of different times and ways. With the extra couple of days and so forth, how do you go about cleaning that up? What's the message? How does that change? (Brian Wacker) "I think there's just levels of accountability. 'Here's what's happened,' [and] not letting excuses and or different quarterbacks or whatever creep into our mentality whatsoever. I think sometimes when you have guys in and out of the lineup there's like this easy 'Oh well, we didn't have this or we didn't have that' and that's not the way we want to operate. I think we practice it a ton. You work [on] it. You hold them accountable and eventually you have to say, 'What's the next step?' So, we'll see what that looks like."
What have you seen from OLB Trey Hendrickson individually so far? (Cordell Woodland) "I think Trey [Hendrickson]'s played really hard, and I think he's affected the game a bunch of different times from a pressure standpoint. I think over the last couple games as he's gotten used to his situation, I think he's played the run actually really well. I think again, sometimes the game itself has dictated straight drop-back types of offenses that you're playing when you're playing from behind like we've been. So, I expect Trey to continue to improve, to continue to get better as he's healthier and I expect him to really impact the game for us going forward. [I] have a lot of confidence in him and want him just to keep working within himself and with the guys and working together as a pass rush unit for us to get the productivity we need to get out of that position."
What have your conversations been like with executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta as we get close to the trade deadline, and do you expect more action on that front? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Our conversations are always about what's best for the team and what's best for both the team now [and] the team in the future. I think all of those things you're always looking at. I think it's kind of a we'll see. We obviously made the move to get Jacoby [Brissett] for our team right now. I think that's a much-needed move and one that we're very happy about, I would say, from a coaching perspective. And anything beyond that, [there's] time between now and tomorrow at the deadline and [we'll] kind of see what happens. But it's also, I like our team. Now we need to play better, and we need to do things better. But we have some good players that we need to coach better. We need to get them to play the way that we're capable of playing. If we do that, we'll be capable of doing what we want to do. But for us right now, it's one day at a time, getting better. [I'm] not worried about all that stuff."
Have you been able to talk to some of the veterans on the team about QB Jacoby Brissett? You just said this helps our team now. What have you been able to observe in the mood of the team kind of in response to that trade? (Kyle Goon) "I think that gives the team a jolt a little bit. Again, [these are] situational circumstances. You can sit around and say, 'Oh man, I can't believe this happened, this happened [and] this happened.' We got through a really tough three-game stretch on our schedule. The results are what they are. The quarterback situation is what it is. We didn't play well enough on defense or special teams or offense in any of those three games to put ourselves in position. So now, I think the move just provides a veteran presence, a guy that's played a bunch, that's been on some different teams, that has played high-level football at different times in his career [and] has had different opportunities different years to start. [Jacoby Brissett] has a 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his career, so he's taking care of the ball. He's moved offenses and we're just excited to add him, and I think the team will feel that and, as we go into preparation, I think they'll feel his presence."
Could RB Adam Randall factor in this week, and we didn't see RB Rasheen Ali at all even when the score was kind of lopsided late in that game. Is he dealing with an injury or anything? (Jeff Zrebiec) "[Rasheen Ali] was dealing with something minor that kind of happened throughout the game. I don't think it'll be something that affects him going forward, but it was just kind of an in-game thing where again, same thing, I would have loved to have had him available to get him some carries there in the second part of that game. With [Adam] Randall, again, I think it's week to week. We have another — not sure [of] the exact timeline — I think another 10, 11 [or] 12 days or so to figure out where that's at. So, he'll get another week to kind of see what it looks like and see where he's at and see if that changes anything for this week."
You've talked about how you and your staff have reacted, but what was your sense coming out of Thursday's game of how the players might react? Are they also looking for a reset? Do you think they're a little shocked in that they thought they were one thing coming into the season, but our record says we aren't? (Childs Walker)"I definitely think so, and you are what your record says you are. You are what the last time you played — that's what you are. So, I think sometimes it's easy for guys to be like, 'Well, this, this [and] this,' and you can spin almost every game and every situation back to some sort of positive thing. But if you really just say screw all that and we're going to look at this thing realistically, this is what we are right now. So, the only people that can do anything about it are us. So, I do think that the guys needed a break after that stretch and particularly [after] the short week. They get a little bit of a reset. We've played nine straight games, and so to get a little bit of that mental [and] physical reset, I think they'll walk in tomorrow feeling pretty good from a physical standpoint and ready to attack this thing from a mental standpoint to get where we want to go."
Is there optimism on your part that S Jaylinn Hawkins could get back to the practice field this week? (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, there's definitely optimism there."
Is CB Nate Wiggins OK? That was kind of a late thing that popped up. (Luke Jones) "Yes, I think [Nate Wiggins] will be okay. It was an unfortunate timing of an illness."
Being a first-year head coach, when you're 4-1, I'm guessing the job's relatively much easier. When you go through a tough stretch like this, first time dealing with this kind of job, what kind of challenge is it for you? (Jamison Hensley) "It's what you signed up for. It's what you work to get toward. You know there's going to be good times and bad times, and I think the easiest thing to do is to say, 'Well, we didn't have this,' or 'This happened,' [or] 'This happened.' I've never really tried to live that way. So, it's my responsibility, solely my responsibility and our staff and obviously our players, for us to be playing the type of football that we're capable of playing regardless of whatever. So yes, the last three weeks [have been] really challenging. But again, out of challenges can come response if you grow and learn and look at it and really, really dive into it and not just say, 'Well, let's keep doing what we're doing.' That, to me, is the No. 1 thing we can't do. So, that might mean a lot of different things. But that's where we're at, and that's where we're at the last three games. So, anybody that tries to spin it any other way, that is what it is."
Obviously you're talking about all the adversity, I'm sure that lands pretty hard on a guy like QB Joe Fagnano. That's probably not the circumstances he wants to make his first career start, clearly working through an injury and then the results were what they were. Did you take any extra time to talk to a guy like that and what was your message to him? (Kyle Goon) "Yes, [Joe Fagnano] is a dude that played his way onto our team, earned his way onto our roster. [He] was ready when his number was called in Buffalo. If you go back and watch the first couple drives that he's in there, [he] actually sparks our offense, I would say, at that particular time. [He] moves the ball down the field a little bit into field goal range with a couple really nice passes, gets banged up I would say probably pretty soon thereafter, so [it was] unfortunate for him that that's kind of the next game and a half of his career. But, that guy earned a lot of respect in the locker room for going out there on Thursday night and dealing with what he was dealing with physically and playing and gutting through it and giving us everything that he had. So, he's well aware of how we feel about him. I think he gets a chance now, again, [as] another guy that can honestly benefit from a guy like Jacoby [Brissett] coming in. This is the type of role that he could have for a long time if he takes this opportunity and really learns from it. So, [I have] tons of respect for Joe. I love the way that he kind of handled that [situation]. He gave us everything that he had, and he'll be ready if his number's called again — I can assure you that."