Head Coach Brian Flores
(You made a change at quarterback after – we assume – them having equal reps of competition this week. What went into that decision?) – “Like I said, we gave them both reps each week. We liked where Josh (Rosen) was. He had two good days of practice. We decided to make the move after a good practice yesterday. It wasn’t just the two practices. He had been practicing well up to this point. We felt like that was the right move for the team.”
(Was there something I guess that changed your mind from when you were telling us it was QB Ryan Fitzpatrick early on in the week to when you made the decision with QB Josh Rosen?) – “He made some good throws. He had good practices. I think he maybe saw an opportunity and jumped at it in practice really well. Not to say that wasn’t the case in previous weeks. He’s been practicing well. We felt like it was the right move for the team. Again, I’ve been with Josh – his development is very important to me. So I never wanted to throw him in there too quickly; but I do think he’s ready. I think he’s shown me that he’s ready to go.”
(How much improvement has QB Josh Rosen shown you in regards to reading defenses and late throws?) – “There’s been a lot of improvement. That’s something that we’ve focused on really since he got here – reading defenses, making quick decisions, pushing the ball downfield when it’s the right time to do those things, getting in and out of the huddle, managing the game correctly, limiting mistakes and turnovers and things of that nature. I think mentally, he’s processing all of that a little bit better. I think he’s ready to go.”
(How did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick handle the news?) – “Obviously he was disappointed. He’s a competitor. He loves to play; he wants to play. He was disappointed and if he wasn’t disappointed, then that would be a bad thing. That’s the case for every player on the team. They all want to play. We only have 11 guys that can play at a time. So yeah, there was disappointment; but the one thing I’ll say about ‘Fitz’ is the way that he’s handled this, it’s been impressive. He’s grabbed Josh (Rosen), he’s got him up on the white board, ‘What do you think of this? What do you think of that?’ (He’s) talking him through different protections and talking him through different QB processes. That’s been really encouraging. Again, it’s a tough situation. A lot of guys would be angry. But here’s a guy who is so selfless and his willingness to put the team first, I’m really impressed by that.”
(What are your hopes and expectations for DE Taco Charlton?) – “He’s been here for five hours? My hopes are that he comes in, learns how we do things, gets into the playbook, learns the defense and knows what time the meetings are. I like to take simple steps through the process. But from a football standpoint, learn what we’re doing defensively – alignments, assignments, our techniques. He’s a smart kid. Just spending some time with him, he understands fronts and rush techniques and games, stunts. They do a good job of coaching in Dallas. They’ve got some good coaches there, specifically (Defensive Coordinator) Rod Marinelli, so he’s been well-coached. There is some carryover from what they did and some of the things that we do. I’m excited within the first few hours about the possibilities and the potential; but he has to take advantage of that. Again, the first thing I told him was, ‘You’ve got to be ready to compete. We’re not giving away any jobs here.’ He’s going to have to fight for his opportunities on the field. He understands that. In a lot of ways, he relishes it, which I was excited about. It will take some time but hopefully we can get him going.”
(DE Taco Charlton’s skillset is what? What intrigues you? What things physically does he do that intrigues you and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “Well, he’s big, he’s long, he’s strong. He has good pass-rush potential. We’ve had him for a few hours. What I saw of him today, I was happy with. But like any other player, the goal for him is to improve, learn the defense, get better on a daily basis and if you do that, then the results will come.”
(A lot of guys have come down here and played days after arriving. Is there a possibility that he can play against his old team?) – “Yeah, there’s a possibility. It would be a tough thing to do, obviously. He wants to play. The kid loves football. That’s clear. He wants to play. Hopefully if we can get him up to speed, then maybe (he can play Sunday). That’s a tough thing to do though. No promises on that; he knows that. He’s been in meetings, he’s been asking questions, he’s very eager to get in there and whether it’s scout team to defense. With that type of attitude, he’ll be in there sooner than later.”
(Does QB Josh Rosen have a chance to prove to you that he can be your long-term answer here at QB?) – “I think for Josh, what he needs to do is focus on his preparation for the next 48 hours leading into the game, and then taking one play at a time. I think that’s kind of the best approach for him – to take a long view on this. Then you start thinking about five or 10 years from now, then you’re not really locked in on right now. That would be my advice to him. Is there potential for that? Yeah, obviously. There’s always potential for that. But I think when you start to think that far ahead, you lose a little bit of right now. Again, you don’t know the difference between making that throw on third down and not making that throw on third down. Maybe it’s – I know I’ve said this before – one more play of film he could have watched and one less thought about 10 years from now. That’s kind of always my approach with players and really anybody.”
(Are you confident that QB Josh Rosen will have adequate protection considering you guys gave up seven sacks last week and the line is still in a flux situation?) – “I think every week, that’s at the top of our priority list – protecting the quarterback. We didn’t do a good job of it last week. We need to do a better job. Obviously that’s a point of emphasis. I am confident that we’ll get him protected. Look, it’s a tall order. They’re got a really good rush. We know that. The players know that. The coaches know that. We’ll do everything possible to get him protected but it’s going to take us getting aligned, knowing our assignments, executing the fundamentals, the techniques, play after play after play after play against a good team that’s physical, that’s fast, that has good players. It’s a tall task; but I think this team is up to that. They’ve worked hard this week and we’re going to need – if we’re going to have a chance, we’re going to have to protect the quarterback. It’s at the top of the priority list.”
