November 2, 2020
(Opening Statement) “I just wanted to say I hope everyone had a good couple days to spend with the family. Our bye week, we had the players a couple days and looked at the game and then really went back and looked at ourselves and looked to see how we can improve and changes we can make. We have a couple things and we’re going to go out this week and work on them. A couple injury situations had come up, I’ll answer all the questions that you have on that. Right now, we worked out our first day and we’re excited to be back and we’re looking forward and looking to this game this week at home.”
(On if any trades will be made before the deadline tomorrow) “Not that I’m aware of. None.”
(On if would like to see any trades made) “My focus in on the players that we have here, so I don’t know who’s available, who’s out there, what deals. I have no idea.”
(On QB Gardner Minshew II’s thumb injury) “A couple things, so I kind of go through the step by step. After the game, we played the game and they said, “Hey, his thumb is sore or thumb is hurt’, so you don’t really think much of it. And then the next day, came in and they said it was swollen and they were going to get X-rays, so that was Tuesday. Then Tuesday night, we find out he has an injury to his right thumb. The plan is to try to get him back to 100 percent and see him be an inactive this weekend.”
(On who will be the starting quarterback this week) “I think both guys have to be ready. That’s what I’ve told both players, they have to be ready. But, I feel like I’ve seen a lot of Mike [Glennon], I haven’t seen a lot of Jake [Luton], so I’m going to go with Jake this week taking the reps and see how he does.”
(On when QB Gardner Minshew II got hurt and if he will face disciplinary action for potentially hiding an injury) “I talked to Gardner [Minshew II] about that. I found out from the trainers and doctors about that first I guess on Tuesday night or Wednesday. I can’t recall which day. My emotion was, at first, there’s a little level of frustration and accountability when someone is injured obviously, they should report it. You kind of go back and did you see anything that might have given you an indication. I talked to [Quarterbacks Coach] Ben McAdoo, I talked to [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden], we didn’t see anything. When Gardner came in, I just talked to him, I said,’ I can understand. One, if you’re injured, you need to report it.’ I said,’ Two, it’s not like I don’t understand the competitiveness in you where you want to continue to play.’ I said, ‘But, you have to make smart decisions and decisions that’s what’s best for team’ and that was it. I don’t think I’m going to get involved, at least from my standpoint, of any disciplinary measure of just trying to learn and make sure the players understand that if you are injured, it could hurt the team, it could hurt yourself. Even though we appreciate the competitiveness that you all have that it’s in your best interest to make sure you report it and this way we don’t put someone out there that’s not really 100 percent.”
(On the risk of starting Jake Luton as a rookie QB) “I think we’ll figure out what we’re going to get. I think we’ll see. I mean everything’s a risk, so why not?”
(On what QB Jake Luton needs to show to be the starter this weekend) “We have a long way to go. I mean it’s going to start with these practices each day and preparation and all that. I think we’ll all know it when we see it. I don’t think there’s anything that’s eye-opening, just go in there and see if he can operate and see how he plays against the light rush. I know how he plays without a live rush. He’s done some good things and I’m sure there’ll be some things that he wants to take back and you just hope that that good plays are good, and the bad plays don’t kill you.”
(On QB Jake Luton and how he has developed since training camp) “All three quarterbacks with me are kind of quiet. They go about their business, very business-like. As far as the development, I thought for a guy that we took in the sixth round coming in, I thought he did some really good things. If we would’ve taken him higher, I thought we would have been happy with the way he preformed in training camp and then I kind of put it on the backburner and then I’ve just been focused on the rest of the team. We haven’t been playing well, so my focus was how we can get people in and how we can better ourselves to get some wins. I think a lot all depends on how he plays to see what the level of development has been.”
(On when he found out about QB Gardner Minshew II’s injury) “I was aware Sunday after the game that he had a thumb issue, that he hurt he thumb, so I just figured he might have hit a helmet or something of that nature. He might have gotten an X-ray that night or not, I don’t remember. That I don’t remember. Tuesday, came in, they said when he came in his thumb was swollen and then there were tests done and then tests were sent to our doctor, another doctor, hand expert. Tuesday night was when I really felt like, ‘Okay this is where it is.’ I didn’t really think it was anything at first, so I didn’t really put much into it, he’s a tough kid. Then when it came back Tuesday night and they sat down, I went to the hand specialist and then I came back, then I said, ‘Okay, this is real.’
(On the NFL’s voting initiative this year) “I think it’s more awareness, which I think is the most important thing. I was fortunate probably later in my life, I’m talking about when I was that young, but the conversations that we have with our children. My daughter is 18 and we got her registered to vote. The conversations that I have with my other children about that responsibility and what it does, really trying to really look into who people are that are running for office that are going to make decisions, that are going to help or hurt, or whatever it may be and to be able to make a decision. It’s a right that, you think about it, you have that right and people fight for it and there’s other countries [that] you don’t have that right. I think it’s created great awareness. Everything that I’ve heard during this week listening to the news is that it’s going to be the largest voter turnout that I think this country’s had. I think it’s the right path, it’s the right step. I think it’s probably [that] you can’t go back and say we should’ve done this earlier and I’m not talking about football, just talking about the awareness all over. But it’s something that I hope continues and everyone becomes a part of it.”
(On the NFL shutting down for election day tomorrow) “[General Manager] Dave [Caldwell] and I had that discussion today. For the players obviously, it’s all closed, and I think obviously if they need treatment [they can get it]. I don’t believe it is for the coaches, but like I told Dave, I said, ‘We’re going to make sure we have time and everyone has time to make sure that they get out [to vote].’ There’s no set hours for us and I think it’s important because we’ve gone this far and to try to limit someone [is not okay]. I might have a coach that might want to go in person in the morning, maybe he’ll go later, or at times because anyone that’s been out there to vote you know you try to time it up to where it’s not that big of a line when you do it so it could be all different hours and all different counties. I’m going to get the official word from Dave here later. We talked about it today and that’s what I was planning on doing because tomorrow we’ll just kind of… We’re ahead a little bit obviously because we’re playing a division opponent, we played them a couple weeks ago. We are doing some different things, so we’re working on that, but everyone’s going to have that opportunity, at least for the people that I’m in charge of.”
(On if changing quarterbacks was a consideration before QB Gardner Minshew II’s injury) “The way it went down, I mean the way I kind of conditioned myself was I wanted to take a break from the first seven games that played and then really take a look at ourselves from more of an analytical standpoint for what we were doing well, what we weren’t, and then creating cut ups and then going to watch the cut ups. By that time, he was injured so I didn’t put much into it because I figured now I’m going to have to play someone and we’ll see this guy does.”
(On his statement of making drastic changes to turn the season around) “I don’t know, I mean when I made a statement like that, I was fired up. There’s things that you want to get done and I think I’ve opened myself up, which is fine, to go out there and say, ‘Well gosh, that was nothing’ or ‘Hey, there was a little bit of something’, but we’ve made some changes that maybe some people won’t be able to notice but they’re drastic for what we’re doing.”
(On choosing QB Jake Luton over QB Mike Glennon due to not knowing what he was capable of yet) “I think that was it. I think that in the beginning it was Gardner [Minshew II] was playing and I didn’t feel that Jake [Luton] might have been ready right away to bring him up there. Mike [Glennon] had the experience so we brought him up there. Then Jake’s done a nice job, so I don’t really [know]. I think Jake has a high ceiling and that’s my opinion of him and I think it’s what you said, Gene. I think, not to take anything away from Mike, I have a ton of respect for him and I told that to Mike and I just said, ‘I just want to see where this kid’s at.’ If you’re going to do something, does that come under crazy shit? But I think you might as well look, might as well see what we have. Go ahead and play him and let’s go.”
(On if they have considered putting QB Gardner Minshew II on IR) “No, not at the moment no. I don’t think it’s going to be that. My conversation with Gardner [Minshew II] was, ‘Hey listen, I want to make sure that you’re 100 percent and when you’re 100 percent, I want to see you out on that field and I want to make sure I’m seeing the throws and things that you made when we were in training camp and in the beginning of the year.’ I said, ‘Don’t try to come out there and say you feel good and you go out there and you’re not throwing the ball well.’ We’re just working to get him back to 100 percent. I don’t know what the time frame is, I really don’t.”
(On if QB Gardner Minshew II will be the starter again when he is healthy) “I mean you’d like to, as a coach, be able to say, “Yeah, as soon as Gardner’s ready he’ll be able to come back.’ But I think when you’re at the record where we are now, we’re at 1-6, we have to see what this kid can do. I mean if this kid comes in and plays extremely well, then what? Then you’re going to say, ‘How come you’re going to bench him and play the other kid?’ I just think it’s common sense. Opportunities create themselves and if he does well, then we’ll see where we’re going, and we’ll make that decision when the time comes.”
(On if having a rookie QB limits the offense or creates more chances to think out of the box) “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that he’s successful, right? That’s the one thing you do when you bring in a young quarterback who hasn’t played in the NFL, so we’re looking to that. Yeah, it could lessen it, that’s the first thought when you do it and then you see what he does during the week and you try to put stuff on it to make it look better.”
(On if QB Jake Luton’s performance in practice could cause him not to be the starter this weekend) “No, I’m going to watch him this week and I’m going to play him. I feel comfortable. I mean I’ve watched him enough, it’s not like I haven’t, but I’ve watched him enough and now it’s going to be how he does when he gets in there when the bullets are flying.”
(On an injury update) “Myles Jack practiced limited today. I think he’ll be back; I think he’ll play. [Tyler] Eifert’s going to play, he’s fine and Jarrod [Wilson] right now is scheduled to play. All three are scheduled to play.”
(On the production from the tight end position this year) “I thought we did well in the training camp and then things didn’t turn out the way they did in the games. I think Ben Ellefson has been a surprise, probably in the Y for us. I think you’ll see him more in there as the Y. He’s done a nice job. I think Tyler [Eifert]’s had a couple weeks now to rest and James [O’Shaughnessy] is coming back from a little bit of rest, we limit him, so we’re hoping to get that going. Obviously, it wasn’t what we had planned. We wanted more production and obviously you can pretty much say that across the board, but I’m really hoping those guys start to come on because that would really help us.”
