Interim head coach Mike Kafka
KAFKA: Really the only change is (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) elevated through the protocol, so he'll get some more work today.
Q: Gunner's good to go?
KAFKA: Yeah, he's got to finish, go through the protocol.
Q: Oh, he's still got to finish?
KAFKA: Yeah, today's the last, I mean, one of the steps, one of the final steps.
Q: So, you expect (guard Greg) Van Roten then to be starting in the game?
KAFKA: Yeah.
Q: How about (outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux) Thibs, though? I guess he's ruled out.
KAFKA: Yeah, he's out, he's out.
Q: Jamie Gillan?
KAFKA: We're going to hold him out, he's not going to kick today, so we'll still keep him up to see where it goes. Still got some time.
Q: That's a TBD.
KAFKA: Yeah.
Q: (Safety Tyler) Nubin got added yesterday, is that anything concerning?
KAFKA: No, nothing concerning, no, he's a tough kid.
Q: Like, how valuable to you guys, not just this year, but I mean, in general, has (tackle) Andrew Thomas been? It just seems like he has that quality some athletes have where he makes everybody around him better.
KAFKA: Yeah, absolutely, that's a great way to describe him. He does that, he has that effect on people, just by his work ethic, by his play, by his production, how he handles himself in the building, how he handles himself around the players in the locker room, just a true professional. A guy that I personally lean on as a coach, because you surround yourself with those guys, those type of players on their team, that's the kind of guys you want.
Q: You guys claimed (wide receiver) Ryan Miller, what do you like about him?
KAFKA: Yeah, I think he has some special teams ability. We'll see him run around today, it'll be kind of the first time I'm getting to work with him, so I'm excited to watch him go out there.
Q: Are you going to have to make some roster moves? You have all those guys that are on IR on the return track, and do you anticipate a lot of moves in the next 24 hours?
KAFKA: We'll see, I think there is a few scenarios that we've been talking through over the last couple of days, so, again, today is one of those days where after practice you kind of see where everyone's at, and then we'll kind of start putting that plan into attack.
Q: (Quarterback) Jaxson's (Dart) mentioned that he's been happy with not trying to force things. What do you see on the good things that he's done so far this season?
KAFKA: Jaxson's doing a great job just owning, having ownership in the offense and understanding what we're trying to get done. Then obviously we try to always put our players in the best position to be successful but have them also have their own touch on it, right, and have their fingerprint on the offense. It's great when the players take ownership of that group, and Jaxson's one of those kind of lead guys in terms of the quarterback putting his own flair on it, putting your own personality on those things, and Jaxson does a great job with that, and so do the other players as well.
Q: Where do you see that flair in ways that we don't? Like, when he's in the meeting room, I guess, where does that come out?
KAFKA: Yeah, I mean, I think it's very subtle, but just even just subtle ball fakes, ball actions, the way they break the huddle, certain shifts and motions, we may have a certain vision of it, and then we go out there, and then the players, they might talk and say, hey, let's do it a little bit this way, and then we're like, that's awesome, go for it. So, just giving that flexibility and not putting our players in a box where they feel like they're so constrained by a lot of rules, but just letting our players have a little personality on the offense and defense and special teams and letting their best abilities go.
Q: Anything special you do to prepare for the possibility of a snow game?
KAFKA: Nothing different, we're out here in New York and New Jersey. There's going to be weather, there's going to be wind, it's going to be cold, it's going to be snow. So, I think we know that. We've been playing football for a long time. So, nothing really different in terms of that. But I guess they're the only factors that could change if, like, wind and, or it's really, really rainy or something like that. But snow games have always been fun.
Q: Have you ever played or coached in one?
KAFKA: I have, yeah, several, several. Growing up in Chicago, it's pretty much guaranteed you're playing in one of them at some point your whole life. I've coached several in Kansas City. The ones here, I was up in the booth, so I didn't feel the elements.
Q: With Kayvon, it seemed like there was some optimism that he'd be back by now. Did he have a setback or was the injury more serious than initially thought?
KAFKA: No, there's still a ton of optimism. And you watch him. You guys saw him kind of come out yesterday and do some drills. I think he's fired up and ready and preparing himself to get out there with the players. It's just about when he feels comfortable and when the doctors feel really good to clear him and get him out there.
