Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly

Q: Why do you think (tight end) Theo (Johnson) has made such strides lately?

KELLY: Theo's doing a good job of winning on his routes and really finishing through the catch. And that was something earlier in the year that we really wanted to focus on with him and make sure that he was in a position to not only be open, but when the ball finds him, make a play. And he's done a really good job on that for the past couple weeks.

Q: How did he deal with the drops when he was having some trouble with that?

KELLY: Yeah, just kept working, was able to kind of go and remember the player that he is, the reasons why he's here and the reasons why he's been put in these situations. So, I think a lot of times it can get tricky, especially in the climate we're in, in terms of you go on social media and it's easy to get lost in that stuff. It's easy to lose sight of who you are and easy to lose sight of really the type of player you are. And he's done a really good job of really focusing on his details and just remembering who he is.

Q: What does getting (quarterback Jaxson) Dart back do for you guys?

KELLY: Yeah, he's cleared and we're going to make sure we get him ready to go. And he's a good player. He's done a lot of good things. He can extend plays, has a little bit of a different element when he's out there in terms of his athletic ability and play extension. But yeah, it's always good to get our guys back.

Q: For you, what's it like working with him? First of all, I know you were with tight ends but did you really work a lot with Dart before you became OC at all?

KELLY: I mean, I was focused on making sure those tight ends were playing well. So, other than just the casual conversations, there wasn't much working with him, I would say. But being able to get him, or get to know him better, and how he sees the game, how he processes what he likes, things along those lines, it's been really good. He's a really smart player, really instinctive and sees the field really well. So, it's been cool.

Q: I was just going to ask, what's it been like working with him? Just being with him at meetings, what's it been like just seeing how he sees the game and working with him now?

KELLY: Yeah, with young quarterbacks in particular, there's a lot of different things, different quirks, if you will, as to how they see it, what they like, when they like things. So again, it's like getting to know somebody and understanding kind of what his go-to's are. And again, he's a hell of a player, and he's done a great job of making plays for us, and we need to keep putting him in positions to do so.

Q: How much do you, coming off a concussion, have to be in his ear, say, hey, get down, get out of bounds, let's try to avoid taking some of these big hits?

KELLY: I think that's a big part of playing quarterback in this league, especially starting quarterbacks. Especially guys that have his mobility, his mindset, his really understanding the value of being available.

And you're never going to take that mindset away from him. That's the main reason as to why he is who he is but being able to understand when you need to put the cape on and when it's okay to go ahead and slide. So again, I think that's part of the process for these younger quarterbacks coming into the league, is just understanding, you always have that mindset of, I'm going to do everything I can to go get that last yard. Well, a yard with 12 minutes to go in the first quarter is a little bit different than a yard to go with 10 seconds to go in the game. So being able to have some situational awareness there and understand when we need him to put the cape on and when he needs to protect himself.

Q: Any familiarity with you going up against the defense that you are going to see on Monday night?

KELLY: A little bit, I spent a couple years there with (New England Patriots head coach) Mike (Vrabel). And a couple years with him in Houston, and played against him, called plays against him, but yeah, so there's some familiarity with the scheme, with the players, obviously with (Patriots outside linebacker) Harold (Landry III) and some of those guys that he's got. But yeah, there's some familiarity.

Q: These past few games, you guys have really been committed to the run. What has been behind that, why has that been such an emphasis for you guys?

KELLY: Really leaning on our offensive line. They're doing a really good job of keeping us clean and making sure that we're able to be efficient in the run game. And in doing so, it's been able to open up some different opportunities for us in the pass game and really trying to tie all that together. So obviously, (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) did a great job last week of being able to go and make some explosive plays there for us, particularly in the play-action game. And our ability to run the ball effectively and willingness to do so, I think has opened some of that up.

Q: When you guys pull out the bag of tricks like you did, what do you think that kind of message sends to your players?

KELLY: That there's a good play that's going to score points, we're going to call it. Big thing I learned a long time ago is just being able to trust your players. I don't think anybody quite saw Jameis' touchdown ending up the way that it did. But when the ball was in the air and saw the matchup, there was no panic from anybody on the sideline. There's multiple examples, I'm sure you guys remember, during camp of him going and shaking and stiff-arming and doing all that, and everyone had a good laugh about it. But the way that play finished didn't really surprise me. We've seen it, we saw it in Buffalo, we saw it in training camp, and it's just really our ability to trust our players. So, their ability to go ahead and execute throughout the week during practice when we call those plays gives you a lot of confidence to be able to go and call that in a game and know something good's going to happen.

Q: How did you land on those plays last Sunday? Is it something you, during the week, went back and found? How did that process happen?

KELLY: Collectively, as you're going through it, you see opportunities that come up. Hey, this marries with something we've done. This looks like something we've done in the past or earlier in the game. The way they run a certain scheme may lend themselves to be exposed in a certain situation. So yeah, there's a lot that goes into it, but those are two that we liked going into the game, and they both hit for us.

Q: (Interim head coach) Mike's (Kafka) calling the plays, but so that last sequence there, right down by the goal line, at the end of regulation. Just take me through what you're hearing on the headsets, what your thought was on just the overall approach there.

KELLY: Yeah, obviously had the, what, the first down, we had the good run to get us to the two. We ended up calling the action on second down, thought it was a good play, thought we just missed the throw. Third and goal from the two, figuring we have four downs to go and win it, and essentially end the game. (Detroit Lions defensive end) Aiden (Hutchinson) made a great play, jumped the count, obviously wasn't expecting to lose four yards on that. And at that point in time, felt like we still had a good play to be able to go and put the dagger in them, and just unfortunately, we weren't able to come up with the ball.

Q: You guys seem to have that thought process on third down a lot, like you know you're going to go fourth down but just get yards on third down, run it, and at least give us a chance to give us maybe both options on fourth down. How much is that what you guys were thinking behind it, and take us through what your thought process is?

KELLY: Yeah, there's always certain things, where you're at on the field, how the game's going, how we're playing up front, how the quarterback's playing. So, I think there's a lot that goes into it. And again, our ability to effectively run the football keeps those opportunities open for us, and one of the luxuries of having a play caller be the ultimate decision maker is that he knows in his head, hey, if I get it to this down a distance, we're going for it. So it definitely allows a little bit more freedom there with the second and third down calls, knowing that I got to get it to this number in order to go for it. So again, our guys have done a really good job. I think we had a third and four that went for eight last week. And the other thing it does, too, is it keeps the defense honest. Typically, when you get into those third down situations, you're seeing a bunch of exotic fronts, multiple blitzers, things along those lines that may not be the most sound versus a simple run. And so, you're giving them something to think about also as they're putting their third down package together.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen

Q: What's this week been like for you?

BULLEN: It's been an adjustment for sure. But we, as a staff, we've come together and tried to figure out where we all have to pull a little more weight, so to speak. But at the end of the day, it's football and our process has stayed the same as much as it can. Just trying to identify how we have to game plan like we typically do. And if there's any areas that people need to do a little bit more in, we will. But just more volume for me, more stuff to get through than before.

Q: The most noticeable change Wednesday was DB's tackling drills with (defensive line coach) Dre (Patterson) and (assistant defensive line coach) Bryan Cox. Was that your idea? What's the thought behind that?

BULLEN: We did, that was a tackling circuit which we've done before. And sometimes we do it a little more often than others. But that was a collective staff idea, just something that we felt like we needed to work on and emphasize. And there's times when working on those types of fundamentals, tackling or whatever, it's more beneficial to do it in an individual setting. And sometimes it's more beneficial to do it in a group setting. And at that moment in time, we thought that we go that route. And so that's why we did it that way.

Q: The run defense clearly has been problematic, right?

BULLEN: Yeah.

Q: You're different eyes, different voice, what do you see as the problem there? Like, what do you need to improve to fix that?

BULLEN: Yeah, I think there's a couple areas. If you look at the big runs from the other day or any of the big runs this year, I think it's a combination of scheme. Are we getting aligned correctly? And are we getting the adjustments communicated? It's also technique and fundamentals, as well as making or missing tackles. Like one of the ones the other day got out technically, we could have been sounder up front and had guys there to get (Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr) Gibbs down and didn't make the tackle. In other areas, we didn't get a front adjusted correctly. So, it's really a couple areas. And as a staff, we've been focusing on how can we, as best as possible, improve all of those areas? I mean, any time you give up that many yards, it's a multifaceted thing.

Q: Going back to Monday, were you surprised at all, just because there's guys on the staff who have been DCs before? And then what was (interim head coach) Mike's (Kafka) communication like when he obviously offered you this role?

BULLEN: My first thoughts were with Shane (Bowen) and as a man, I felt for him and felt having been a part of his staff, personal responsibility and disappointment that we didn't do better for him. So that's where my initial thought was. But Mike just communicated that he was going to go with me as the play caller moving forward. I wasn't surprised, having said that we do have other guys on staff who have experience calling plays and that type of thing. And in my opinion, it could have been any of us, you know, but I just took it as a challenge and an exciting opportunity for me and just was excited to get rolling and do the best I could, knowing that our staff does have good coaches and they're all there to lean on. It'll be an all-hands-on deck approach anyway. So that was kind of where my thoughts were at the moment.

Q: It's sometimes hard to tell just on a guy's job title on his Wikipedia page if he's called plays before. Have you called plays anywhere at any time? Any games?

BULLEN: I have not. This will be the first time.

Q: How do you work through that, Charlie? Is there prep work for you this weekend? I mean, how are you getting ready for this opportunity?

BULLEN: We've done some call-it periods in practice and we'll continue doing that and then just watching games and going through the calls, that type of thing. But it's just as a position coach along the way, you're always preparing for this type of moment anyway and in games have your own thoughts of what calls you might go with or even in-game just suggesting it to the play caller over the years. So, that's kind of naturally just how coaches think. But yeah, I'd say this week just kind of getting reps at putting myself in those situations and what the moment would call for, what the menu looks like in those moments and then being able to make a decision in real time.

Q: What should people expect from a Charlie Bullen-led defense? What do you believe in, you know? What should it look like?

BULLEN: Yeah, no doubt. I mean, it's a player-driven league, there's no doubt and coming from my perspective, coming from my position room where there's three first rounders, I understand fully that it's a talent-driven league and a player-driven league. So to me, as a coach, my philosophy is always players over plays, and how can we as coaches, even as a position coach, maximize our players' abilities and put them in position to have success - A, for themselves, maximizing what they're good at, but then also defensively it helps us. If we're putting (outside linebacker Brian) Burns in advantageous situations or (defensive lineman) Dex (Lawrence II) in advantageous situations or (safety Jevón) Holland, that helps us. I'd say at this point it's hard to wholesale change. Not that I'd do that anyway, but we've got years and months of time on task in this scheme. And so, I don't think it's something you can change completely. I think we can tweak and alter, but as best I can, I just want to put these guys in position to succeed so that their skill sets are maximized and they can play as fast as possible.

Q: I think a lot of the assumptions is you worked under (former NFL coach) Vance Joseph, so it's going to be aggressive, a little more aggressive, more guys at the line of scrimmage to create confusion. Like, is that sort of what you believe in at heart?

BULLEN: It might be. It might be. No, Vance is a great friend of mine and a big mentor of mine. And we talk quite a bit, even before this type of thing and he's influenced me for sure, so we'll see where it goes. We'll see where it goes.

Q: It's not like you're going into Monday night and you're getting a tune-up against a JV team from down the street. What kind of challenge does that add to this whole thing with knowing that you're going against an offense and a quarterback that's kind of humming right now?

BULLEN: Yeah, it's a big challenge. I'd say (New England Patriots offensive coordinator) Josh McDaniels is one of the top coordinators in the history of the NFL. And he's challenging to face as a coach, and their personnel is challenging. And (Patriots quarterback) Drake Maye's playing at a really high level right now. So, Josh, he's a great play caller and a great offensive mind. And it is a big challenge. I had some years in Miami as a position coach, seven years in the division, and have some experience coaching against them in that regard. But it's a big challenge, you know. And it's something that we're doing everything we can to be ready for. But at the end of the day, it's football. And whether it's this opponent or that opponent, it's your job as a coach to put it in the prep work and identify who it is you're playing, what they do best, how you take away their best players and plays and go from there. But they're good. I mean, he's good. So, it's a big challenge.

Q: The thing on everybody's mind is, if the Giants have a seven-point lead with 10 minutes left on Monday night, how are they going to close it out? What are your thoughts on, they're not all the same, of course, a one-point lead isn't a 19-point lead. But on getting the fourth quarter solved?

BULLEN: Yeah, no doubt. You know, that's something that we have to fix. If you want to win games, you have to finish. So, I think, again, going back to the run defense, anything that's not successful, you got to look at why and there's a couple reasons why. Again, where can we schematically make sure that these guys can execute the call so that their plate is as clean as possible before the ball snaps, so they're in position and correctly aligned and can execute. And if that's an issue, then we got to help them as coaches. And then, guys got to do their job and when they have a chance to make a play, they've got to make it. So, whether that's a little bit of all of those things or a combination of, that's what we focused on looking at this week and that's what we'll try to address moving forward.

Q: With the way Burns has played, I'm curious, what, now that you've seen him kind of progress, you mentioned before just kind of how his offseason was so impressive. With where he is now, just how impressed are you with that work paying off with how he's played this season?

BULLEN: Yeah, very impressed. Because to me, he's a guy that is in year seven. He got paid. Naturally, someone like that could possibly take their foot off the gas, but he hasn't. It's just a reflection of how good he wants to be and his desire to be great. He's committed to doing whatever he has to, to be great. So, it's been awesome. He's a great player. His approach has been fantastic. That's been really fun for me as a coach to be a part of and do my part in that. But at the end of the day, the players are the ones playing and they're the ones applying their process to their quest to be great. And he's done that. It's been awesome to see.

Q: What do you think about your first game as a coordinator being primetime Monday night?

BULLEN: I think it's another game. It's a great opportunity but it's football at the end of the day and you have got to make the calls and the players got to believe and you got to make plays and execute. So just another game.

Q: How much has Mike Kafka been hands-on with you guys? He's got a lot going on his plate, so just how much is even in your room or are you guys meeting and that type of thing?

BULLEN: I'd say about normal. A little bit more, maybe. Just kind of making sure that our workflow is in a good spot. But nothing over the top, about the same.

Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial

GHOBRIAL: Hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. Good to see everybody staying warm, hopefully. I mean, yeah, this morning it was probably the coldest morning of this year, right? Yeah, can't say it's going to get better.

Q: I know this wasn't your kicker, but just as a special teams expert, how the hell does (Lions kicker Jake) Bates make his kick do that? I've never seen that indoors.

GHOBRIAL: Yeah, that may not be intentional. He's just trying to hit a ball flush, and when you're at more distance, you're trying to bring more speed into it, so sometimes when you hit it with more violence, that ends up happening. It basically wraps in. It could go in-out, it could go out-in, depending on what part of the seam you hit. Those long-distance kicks, he swung hard at it and obviously he has the leg to do that, so he did a good job making that kick.

Q: From your vantage point, it looked like the players thought it was obviously going wide right? I know you're on the sideline, but did you think it was going wide?

GHOBRIAL: I mean, it's hard to see from the sideline. There have been times throughout my career where I thought a ball has been going in or a ball was going out, and then it's been the other way around, so I kind of wait until I see those refs put up either a no good signal or a good signal.

Q: Where's (punter) Jamie (Gillan) at confidence-wise in your mind? I mean, I know the numbers weren't terrible the other day, but it still didn't seem like he was hitting the ball super flush consistently.

GHOBRIAL: I think confidence-wise, I truly believe he feels like he's a great punter, which we have tremendous faith and belief in him as well. That's part of the experience that he's had. Not every specialist is going to consistently sustain success every week. It's the ability to bounce back, to re-correct after one rep, and that's something that I truly believe he knows how to do and he's done before in his career. So, to me, for him, he understands this and we've talked about it. It's about being process-oriented. So, sometimes if you mishit a ball, it's going back to the fundamentals of the drop, the catch, the steps, the line, all those things, which obviously he understands all the fundamentals it takes to hit the big ball, which he's ready to attack success and fix those things.

Q: Do you see anything fundamentally that you're kind of focusing on at this point? You mentioned the drop a lot.

GHOBRIAL: Every rep is really singular. So, every rep could have one issue, it could have another issue, but at the end of the day, that's why I'm saying, be process-oriented. There hasn't been necessarily a recurring theme of what it's been. A lot of times the drop does reflect ball contact because that is the most important part for a punter being able to execute and hit a good ball. Because there are so many things that could happen with it, right? The nose could go down and your foot's trying to save it.

The drop could be inside and your leg is reflecting the kick direction on that. That is an important part of correcting a punter's fundamentals, but like I said, every rep is so singular that you're really focused on just what is your routine, what are your steps to even warm up. Those things correlate to sustained success.

Q: Does the DC change have any impact on you? Obviously, you have to be in touch with the other coordinators about who's going to be up, who's going to be available on special teams, so what's it been like working with (defensive coordinator) Charlie (Bullen)?

GHOBRIAL: Charlie is a great football coach, a great person and everybody on our staff is really easy to talk to. When it comes to the gameday rosters, we all have discussions with the head coach and whatever gives our team the best opportunity to win that football game, we're all going to come together. There are no egos in our building. We all want the same thing. We all want to win, and sometimes you're going to really have discussions on what helps each side of the ball and ultimately, when you leave those meetings, everybody's on the same page because we truly all want the same thing.

Q: Did you want a touchback on the kickoff at the end of the first half when they got the long return, in that situation?

GHOBRIAL: I think there was enough time on the clock to where you'd want to kick to cover. So, it's not necessarily that we wanted a touchback. There are times that you would want a touchback, but the nature of it is we've got to cover better on that specific rep. The kickoff comes down to getting off blocks, to constricting the return in terms of field dimensions and ultimately that will allow you to have success on every rep. We've just got to do a better job getting off blocks.

Q: What have you seen from (wide receiver) Dalen (Cambre)? I know he was up for the second week in a row. What has he done to earn that opportunity?

GHOBRIAL: I think he took advantage of his first opportunity, number one. It wasn't too big for him. He studies his tail off and, like I said, he has tremendous flex for a football team. He's a guy that can operate with no reps, so, number one, you trust him as a football coach. Number two, when he takes those opportunities and it comes to game time, when he's able to get off blocks, when he's able to penetrate to disrupt, when he's able to understand his assignments on punt return, he has a lot of value. So, he did his job, number one, and the thing I echo to, and really I echo to all players that get their first opportunity in the regular season, is you don't need to press for a play to be considered to be up the next game. The only thing that matters is this game and doing your job. When you do your job, those plays that you're supposed to make are supposed to come to you, and that was something that I echoed to him and he took that to heart and he just happened to do a really good job of doing his job. The plays came to him that he was supposed to make and he did so. So, really happy where he's at and if he gets the opportunity to be up again, I'm sure he'll take advantage of it.

Q: With (kicker Younghoe) Koo now, it seems like he's kind of settled in with you guys. You guys know what you're getting. How challenging of it was a process for you guys to kind of get all the specialists on the same page? You talked about it and how different guys like different things and that kind of thing. But now it seems like, Week 3 for him, nobody's really even talking about it anymore. It's almost like, okay, Koo's here and let's go.

GHOBRIAL: To me, it's time on task. Obviously, the more time you have working those operations, the more comfortable those guys get. Sometimes you're not afforded the same amount of time and the expectation in this league is you perform. It's cool to have a guy like Koo who has the veteran experience that would relish any opportunity, and he has. The time it took for him to get ready I think was sufficient. He showed that he showed comfort with the operation and he's been just looking ahead for the next opportunity. But every week is a new week, so he understands that last week's success or the week prior don't necessarily correlate to having success the next day. His focus is on what can he do to improve this week and taking advantage come Monday night.

Q: Did you like his tackling technique?

GHOBRIAL: We'd rather not have him active in tackling. Like I said, we've got to do a better job covering the kick in terms of the 10 other guys on the football field. But it shows you that he has no fear in his heart, in his mind, which is why the game isn't too big for him.

Q: Why do you like (running back) Eric Gray as a kick returner?

GHOBRIAL: He's had a ton of experience doing it. He's a running back that's used to carrying the ball. He understands the vision, how to set up blocks. Although that was his first game, he obviously wants that one return back. I know after that mistake was made, he came up to me apologizing. I'm like you don't have to apologize, you've just got to make it right, and part of making it right is his intent and his deliberation in practice. If you saw him the other day, it was him on the Jugs getting a ton of catches to make sure he's catching that ball forward, ball security drills, all those things. The one thing I'll say about our group in its entirety is they want to do everything right to put us in position to win football games and to continue to be an explosive unit, which I have belief in from our guys and obviously they've showcased it this season. So, it's cool to have guys that come back to the drawing board, want to fix things and ultimately we'll keep looking ahead and keep trying to improve and keep trying to put our team in position to win.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

DART: I just want to open with something real quick. Obviously, there's been a lot that's happened since I've been up here and I just want to acknowledge Coach Dabs and all that he did for me. Just when I look back on everything, it's really special to come to a place where a coach genuinely cares about you and loves you and you have that personal relationship on and off the field. I just have all the respect in the world for him. I think he's an incredible offensive mind. He's done an amazing job developing me up to this point. This business is a beast, man, and give a shoutout to Coach Shane (Bowen) as well. Unfortunately, we just weren't able to get enough wins for them. But at the same time, got a lot of respect for them, and Coach Dabs, who knows if I'm here without him, so I've got all the respect and love for him. With that, I'll open up for questions.

Q: What was that like for you, just having to experience that, and you were obviously in the protocol?

DART: Yeah, it's hard. Oh, the protocol?

Q: No, no, not the protocol. But you were in protocol when this happened and having been injured and things like that.

DART: Yeah, it sucked. Like I said, I have a lot of love for Coach Dabs and we're really close, so to kind of see it go down that way, especially my rookie year, it was hard. So, just trying to control what I can control, take the next steps, but just wish we could have done more as players to get more wins for him.

Q: As you said, a lot has happened since the last time we spoke to you. Can you take us back to the Bears game and just what happened from the play you get hurt, but then you come back in the game, what happened there from your perspective?

DART: Obviously, I just wasn't feeling too great. I thought, honestly, our medical staff did a really good job because I wasn't in a good space to be out there. Obviously, that game just sucked because we had control. Quite honestly, I felt like they could not stop me, they couldn't stop us as a team. So, that one hurt for sure. You wish plays like that wouldn't happen and you can finish the game with your team.

Q: Were you unconscious at all? It looked like when you hit the ground, you didn't even move for the ball.

DART: I didn't feel like I was unconscious, just didn't feel the same.

Q: Did you learn anything from that whole experience? I mean, I know obviously, guys want to play, right? Is there anything you take from that and say, maybe next time, I've got to do things a little different?

DART: I mean, the only thing about that play is the ball got knocked out of my hands and when you kind of lose control of the ball, you're not really thinking about bracing for the ground. When I watched the whole game - and it's kind of been a point of emphasis going into each game of just being smarter with the hits that I take. When I look back at the game, there's not a hit where I'm like, dang, I shouldn't have taken that hit, to be honest. I felt like I was making smart decisions. I didn't take really any unnecessary hits. That was just a situation where you kind of lose control of your body when you fumble it and you're not really bracing for the ground. But obviously, moving forward, now I've got to be more available for this team, so, that's obviously on the forefront of my mind going forward.

Q: Is that the lesson you're taking from it all? Like, hey, (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) said, 'Availability is the best ability.' Is that sort of how you're applying it moving forward?

DART: Yeah, absolutely.

Q: I know you're not a doctor, but by hearing what you're saying, it sounded like you feel like you got hurt by hitting the ground the way your head hit the ground?

DART: Yeah.

Q: In terms of getting ready to play, I'm not trying to put everything in the past, but walking out here on the practice field, knowing you have a chance to now play, what's your mindset, what's your mind frame in terms of getting out there on Monday night?

DART: Yeah, man, I'm ready. I've been waiting for it. Obviously, these primetime games are ones that you have circled on your calendar. So, excited to go out there, go compete at a high level and do everything in my power to rally these guys, to put our team in the best situation when the clock hits zero that we're going to come out with a win.

Q: What happened from your perspective last week, because it seemed like Wednesday, (interim head coach Mike) Kafka said, if everything goes well, you're going to play, and then it seemed like you took a lot of the first team reps and then you didn't play?

DART: That's a hard question because just for me, I feel like I can go and I felt like I can go the week before too. But obviously there are protocols and there are different tests that you have to pass. Our medical team does a really good job of making sure that we meet all those requirements to be out there on the field. But it's been hard, man. I can't stand sitting on the sideline watching. But credit to those guys. Maybe in the moment I wasn't the happiest, but they're overlooking our health and our safety.

Q: You mentioned being patient, you mentioned how difficult that is. Take us through that. How difficult is it to kind of have to be like, you can't play when you want to, even though you have that drive, like, I feel ready. What is that like for you to be patient and have to wait and wait until they clear you?

DART: It's hard. I feel like every day goes by slower and you're hoping and praying that you're going to go in and pass your test to make it. I think I bit more nails off my fingers than I have in a long time being on the sideline watching. But yeah, it's definitely not fun to feel like you have no control over the outcome of the game, but you just try to be the best teammate that you can.

Q: This is obviously the first concussion you're diagnosed with since you've been here. Have you had any in the past, college, high school?

DART: No.

Q: When it comes to the situation now, I mean, Daboll's gone, but Kafka's still here. Has it been the two weeks similar to everything that you got used to with Daboll?

DART: Yeah, I mean, Kaf's been in the system for a few years now, so he understands it, obviously, like the back of his hands. Maybe there are a few little tweaks that you have from just like preferences as a coach may feel, but I have all the confidence in the world in Kaf and thought he's just done a great job really this whole year.

Q: How has that relationship been? Obviously, you and Daboll were close, you and Kafka are close, but how has that relationship been close and how has it been getting closer these last two weeks?

DART: Obviously these last two weeks, it's just more and more communication. I think Kafka's one of the best coordinators in the NFL. You can look at that from a player's perspective as well as statistically and number-wise, I think he does a great job. So, as an offense, as a team, we have a ton of confidence in him that he's going to put us in the right situations to succeed.

Q: Obviously, in that last game, you said you were getting down and you thought you didn't think any of the hits were ones that were your fault, like you shouldn't have taken there. But do you look at it as a whole after seeing the totality of all, like four concussion checks in an eight-game stretch, that you have to change anything with the way you play at all?

DART: Well, the narrative's not necessarily accurate of four concussion checks. I was taken into the tent three of those times for things that had nothing to do with my head. They have their own operation of kind of how they handle things. I'm still getting used to this game. I'm getting used to the speed of this level. In college, you can watch my tape, I very rarely slid. But this is a different beast. So, for me, I've got to be obviously a little bit more responsible when I'm in the open field. But I felt like, quite honestly, I was getting better at it each and every week.

Q: What were those other things you were checked for, if not concussions? Because we were told you had cleared protocol.

DART: What do you mean?

Q: We get an alert. I'm pretty sure some of those we were told you went through concussion protocol just on the sidelines. We get an alert, like in the media area.

DART: One time I'm just tired against the Chargers. The other one has other things that have nothing to do with my head. So, they have their own formula of how they handle those things, but the narrative of me having four concussion checks because of something that happened with my head is not true.

Q: You were in the locker room last week and the scene becomes all too familiar for you guys. When you're around, you're talking to some of your guys, but you weren't in the game, what is that like and how does that affect you as a competitor to go through what this team has gone through, especially the last six weeks, but really all season?

DART: The season so far has been tough because our record could completely be flipped the other way and everybody here is in a completely different state of mind. But I've just come to realize that in the NFL, if you don't make those crunch-time moment plays and the other team does, you're going to lose, and it doesn't really matter how well you play up until the end of the game. So, at times, it honestly doesn't even feel real because you feel like you're in control of the entire game and somehow things just don't work. That's just the beauty of the sport is it could go one way, it could go the other way and when you're playing at this level of competition, especially for me, I've come to realize that it doesn't matter how you play at all until, who scores last, who has the ball last and who makes that last crucial play at the end of the game.

Q: How many times have you been evaluated for a concussion then?

DART: I don't know. It's a good question. Feel good though.