(On an injury report) “I think Kamalei Correa should be good to go this week. I think Brandon Linder’s obviously going to be out this week and we may do something down the road. He’s trying like hell to get back. Abry Jones is going to stay on IR. Josh Jones we’ll know more about on Wednesday. [Greg] Mabin I think will be fine and then [Andrew] Norwell and [Chris] Claybrooks will be practicing this week and then we’ll see where they are in practice.”
(On the starting quarterback this week) “I spoke to the quarterbacks today and I explained to them, all three of them [that] over the course of this year, things haven’t gone they way they want them to go, neither have I, neither has anyone and there’s a lot of pressure to get everyone else around us playing well. I think it’s going to be important for the pieces around them to play extremely well for them to have success. Gardner [Minshew II]’s going to go ahead and get the start this week. I told Mike [Glennon] to be ready and Jake [Luton] to keep coming along because there’s pressure on all of us to go in there and win football games. To win a game, we’re going to need a lot of people around them. So, that’s how we’re going to go into this game.”
(On the reason for WR DJ Chark Jr.’s lack of production) “I think we have to get him going. He’s a good football player. He’s getting covered and we have to look at ways to try to get him uncovered and then when he does win, try to get him the football. I think it’s a lot. There’s a lot going on. I think that obviously we all want to play better as a group and I’m sure DJ [Chark Jr.] does. He works hard during the week. Going into the game, I think when we went to him, there was some pretty good coverage on him, and we just have to keep working to get him open. We’ve seen him when he’s healthy and he can go. That’s what we have to get him back to because he’s a guy that we need to make plays for us and right now we’re not making enough plays.”
(On if the decision to start QB Gardner Minshew II is because of his style of play compared to QB Mike Glennon and QB Jake Luton) “I mean that comes into play, extending plays and being able to make plays on his feet. That’s what we’re looking for, someone that can do it. Mike [Glennon]’s going to sit back there. We haven’t been doing a good job in anything. I think that’s why we’re sitting with our record the way that it is. I mean we’ll see. We’re going to keep trying to do things and keep working to see whatever the combination is, whatever we have to do coaching wise. I mean we’re not going to just stalemate ourselves. We’re constantly trying to figure out how we can get ourselves in position to make plays, both players and coaches. We just haven’t been able to be consistent and a good enough job of it.”
(On if the starting quarterback position will be evaluated every week) “I told all those guys, I said, ‘Look, you guys have to be ready.’ If someone gets in there and he’s playing well, that’s great, right? That means things are going well and we have a chance to win a football game. If you go in there and you’re struggling to a certain extent where you’re not able to come back from it, then we have to do something there. But that’s not the only position that we’ve talked about [in terms of] what do we have to do to help ourselves. I mean we don’t have a lot of moves to make obviously with the roster and where we are in the season. At the same point, everyone has to feel that type of pressure. So, how you guys word it [is up to you]. Am I looking to make a quick hook? Obviously not. I want someone to go in there and give us a chance to win and get the guys around them to play better. That was my main focus when I spoke to those quarterbacks today. We’re just struggling as a team, trying to fight our way out of it and get guys on the field and put them in position. It’s on all of us. I don’t know how you’re going to word it or what you’re going to say or anything like that, but that’s really what we’re doing. I can only tell you what the thought process is.”
(On DT Abry Jones) “He’s going to say on [IR] the rest of the year.”
(On if DT Abry Jones will remain on IR because of his injury or to evaluate other players at the position) “It’s a product of his injury. He still can’t really push off the ankle and it doesn’t seem to be progressing the way we wanted it to. It’s [a] longer [recovery] than we thought. If you can’t push off and you play d-line, you have to withstand double teams and everything. He just can’t push off his ankle. To answer your question, no. It’s his injury.”
