Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka

KAFKA: Really the only change for practice today will be (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter), he'll get some work today. Everyone else will be not participating today.

Q: Anybody you're ruling out yet for the game?

KAFKA: Nobody yet, it's still too soon. See how today goes, some of the rehab stuff, and then obviously we'll get some work and work them on the field if there's an ability to do that.

Q: And (defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II) Dex is dealing with an illness now too, same with everybody else?

KAFKA: Yeah, yeah. A couple of those going around as well. Just trying to protect them.

Q: How do the illnesses affect guys' availability for Sunday? Because it's not like an ankle, are you just going to wait and see how they feel?

KAFKA: Our medical staff's doing a great job just trying to give them some supplements and some of the medication, stuff like that. I don't know how it'll affect it, I guess it just depends on the severity of it. But we've got some pretty tough guys, so we'll see if we can work through it.

Q: How do you feel like your coaching staff has handled the last couple weeks, really the last however many weeks you've been in charge, because obviously there's uncertainty for them? Everybody's wife and kids are asking them, 'Where are we going to live next year?' and whatnot. How have they handled the future versus concentrating for you on doing the best job?

KAFKA: I'm super proud of our staff, asked a lot of guys, all the guys, to step into different roles and they've done a great job. I'm really proud of them for stepping up for me and being an asset for me and carrying out my message not only amongst the coaches, but with the players. The dialogue and the communication that we've had throughout the building, throughout gameday, throughout these situations has been excellent. So, really proud of that group and thankful for them.

Q: Where have you seen (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) improve the most this season?

KAFKA: There are a lot of areas that Jaxson's improved on. I think one's - you said on the field specifically?

Q: No, take it wherever you want.

KAFKA: Okay, yeah, so I think on the field, I think what you're seeing is a more disciplined player inside the huddle. I shouldn't say in the huddle but on the football, when we're communicating with the players, I think that has grown a lot from his first start to this start, just his command and the communication that we're seeing. And when he comes off to the sideline, he's seeing those pictures and he's seeing these looks. So, that communication, he's starting to bank some of those reps that we saw early on where he'd come off the sideline, hey, what'd you think, what'd you see, and he's checking the pictures. Now sometimes, he doesn't even need the pictures. He's able to kind of freeze frame those things in his mind, come back, communicate it, get the corrections, get the thoughts, get the adjustments, then move on to the next set. So, he's banking some of those experiences, which is good to see. In the classroom and in the meeting room, you're seeing the leadership. His voice is starting to be heard in terms of with the players, with the coaches and I think that's important. When we give you the keys to the car, and that's what we've given Jaxson, you go take it and you go run with it and he's doing a hell of a job of communicating with the things that he likes and communicating with us. So, proud of him for that.

Q: There's always a lot of talk, I feel like, going from college to NFL, schematically it's so much different, the defenses. Is that just something you have to go through? Is there a way to expedite that process for a young quarterback?

KAFKA: I think that's great, because you don't know where a player is. You do all your research on the front end of it and you're going through the combine, you're going through those 30 visits and you try your best to kind of pull out as much of kind of the football knowledge that he knows or one would know. Then you're also trying to teach him some of our language and some of our terminology and see how much he can retain and keep up. So, you go through the combine, you go through these 30 visits, and a lot of times you're like, all right, it's just kind of like a pre-scripted, because these guys prep for it. I've been through it, I get it. So, you go through that whole process and then once you kind of get them in the door, now you have a program and a plan that's built out. And you're starting right at the basics, fronts, front identification, what is an under front, what is an over front? Why do teams do that? And you build it to the next thing. The coverages, alright, why do teams play these certain coverages? What are the leverages for these coverages? How can you identify it? You go through this process, you go through the pressures. On top of that, you're throwing a whole playbook, like here's our terminology. So, you build these building blocks and you kind of step through it and you work it from the OTAs into training camp, into the season and you try to expedite it as quickly as you can, but you've got to go through that process. You don't want to shortchange anybody, and particularly for a quarterback, because you've got to know all that stuff. So, with Jaxson, we built that program for Jaxson, now he's got to go up and play. So, now he's inserted into the gameplan, those types of building blocks, they don't take a back seat but you're continuing to refine those. Now within just, I would say, the confines of the gameplan, how those things apply. So, we talked with Jaxson early in his first few starts, you're giving him the gameplan, what's his job, what does he have to do, what are the guys around him doing and what are those adjustments? Okay, now you're teaching him this front structure of what this team likes to play. You're teaching him the coverage structure of what this team likes to play and how these plays fit into it. So now, your seven, eight starts into his rookie year, and so you don't want to take anything for granted. I think he's banking these reps just like we mentioned earlier. Now we've got to go back and kind of re-go through this whole entire program again into year two, into year three, into year four. You just never want to take those things for granted. I know in my experience in Kansas City, it was into year five and we're talking to (Chiefs quarterback) Patrick (Mahomes) about under fronts and over fronts. He's kind of rolling his eyes, but I think that's important for the quarterback room, for an offense, always just kind of go through those basics. You just never want to - you never know what little nugget or what little coaching point can make it click for that player. Jaxson's no different than any of the rookies or the young players or even any of the vets that we have that come in, how is our terminology, how is our language going to matter and how are we going to speak and talk through anything that may come up.

Q: With that being said, how valuable do you think it is for a quarterback to be hearing the same voices moving forward? Some quarterbacks end up bouncing around and changing different programs, different schemes.

KAFKA: I think what was the most important thing is that the messaging and the teaching of it when you're in there and you're in front of them, that it's consistent, it's clear, and that you go through the learning cycle. Everyone learns a little bit different. Some guys can see it on a black and white, on a piece of paper and get it. Some people might need to see it on a film. Some people might need to walk through it and see it live with people moving. So, you've got to go through kind of that learning cycle and make sure that whoever you're teaching that to, you have to learn that learner, how they learn any system. So, for Jaxson, I think it's important that we went through that cycle. We'll have to do that again next year, we'll have to do that again in the offseason with any of the quarterbacks and position players. But to me, the most important part is, how are you teaching it? How are you giving them that information?

Q: How does he learn best?

KAFKA: Jaxson can learn a lot of different ways. I don't think there's one way that's best for him. I think for us, when we're looking at how we're going to install these programs, sometimes we install it in here. You guys see the screens. It's kind of like a little mini field. You see some hashes out here. We'll install here and do kind of a walk and talk, class on the grass type thing. And then we have ones where we do them in the installation room in our team meeting and stand up and kind of do it like lecture style. So, there are a bunch of different ways to do it. I think Jaxson has been receptive to all of them. If there was a preference, then we would probably lean that way. But they're pretty easy, he's a pretty smart guy.

Q: You guys never activated (offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu after his window was opened. What went into that? Because he was pretty sure he would be able to play or practice.

KAFKA: And he did do a great job in the practices. It just ended up being just the numbers. Just where our roster was at, some of the injuries and stuff and prioritizing maybe some position groups over others.