Interim head coach Mike Kafka

KAFKA: Just a couple updates on practice. (Wide receiver) Beaux Collins won't go today, (linebacker Demetrius) Flannigan-Fowles, (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.) Nacho and (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux). Everyone else will be up. We're opening up (offensive lineman) Evan Neal as well. He'll be out there today. It'll be good to see him.

Q: You said Nacho's not going today?

KAFKA: No.

Q: Why open up Neal at this point?

KAFKA: Just think he's ready to roll. It'll be good to get him out there and get some work out in practice.

Q: Who's going to be kicking for you this week? Is it going to be (kicker) Ben (Sauls)?

KAFKA: Well, yeah, right now Ben will be rolling today.

Q: Are you exploring bringing someone in?

KAFKA: Well, I mean, that's the discussion that we've got to have, but right now, we're confident in what Ben has.

Q: As a coach, how do you look at that? How do you describe, is it bad luck, is it bad planning? How do you see that?

KAFKA: No, I think it's a great opportunity for Ben, for him to step up and go kick for our team. It's an opportunity for him. We've dealt with injuries, and injuries happen all across the league. So, there's no excuses to that, it happens at every position, quarterbacks, O-line, D-line, you see it across the league, you see it across each team. So, it's just another opportunity for Ben to go step up for us.

Q: Where is (punter) Jamie Gillan at?
KAFKA: Jamie will get some work today, yeah, he'll get some work today.

Q: And (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski), did he clear (concussion protocol)?

KAFKA: He cleared, yes, he did.

Q: With Kayvon, is there any change as far as thinking about shutting him down because it's been what, four or five games now?

KAFKA: No change yet, he's still working hard. So, at some point, we'll make a decision, but right now he's just working through it. There's some comfortability that he has to get through but he's working hard at it.

Q: Will that come before this upcoming game?

KAFKA: We're just day by day right now. There's no hard deadline on it. We're just kind of working through it. If he feels good and the doctors clear him then he'll be out there.

Q: Is it a strength issue, or is it an ability to be able to sustain hits? At what point are you guys at with what he needs to show you?

KAFKA: I'm not going to get into too much of the details. Kayvon is working his tail off to get ready and whenever the strength, whenever all the inflammation and whenever he feels good and we all feel confident about it and the doctors clear him, then he'll be up.

Q: A lot of times later in a season like this when a team's out, they might get some younger guys an opportunity to play, early evaluation, see them actually in games. With Evan, I know he's not the youngest guy but he hasn't played as much, new position at guard. Is your thought process at all getting him on the field to evaluate him there or is it just practice and see where he is?

KAFKA: That's not really in the thought process. We've got five guys that are playing their butt off right now for us and we're not looking to make any changes.

Q: I know facing a (Vikings defensive coordinator) Brian Flores defense is a challenge for any quarterback. Are there any differences in those challenges when it's a young quarterback like (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) seeing a Flores defense for the first time?

KAFKA: He's going to present you with a bunch of different looks, coverages, max blitzes, max coverage, so drop eight, cover zero. I think one of the most important things that we've got to look at, and study is the get back on track calls. What I've done, what he's done, how he wants to handle that, whether it's by personnel groups, whether it's by concepts and scheme, where can I be aggressive, where is he going to be aggressive? I think that'll be a touch point for us as we go through the week.

Q: With a defense that is so aggressive, does that give you opportunities? I mean, obviously we know the drawbacks for an offense, but if they are going to be aggressive, can you take advantage of certain situations if you get the right look?

KAFKA: Absolutely, absolutely. I think that's just everyone being on the same page and having to operate. And again, he's going to show blitz zero looks, he's going to show blitz zero looks then pop out and play coverage behind it. So, having the answers either built into the play call, having the answers built into our system and then just the communication across the board is going to have to be really good because they present a bunch of different personnel packages as well. So, you have to find a way to kind of isolate certain things, you have to find a way to continue to play fast and operate at a high level.

Q: With how aggressive he is, is there anything you can do before the headsets cut off before a snap to help Jaxson with what he's seeing?

KAFKA: Absolutely, and that's part of just the coach to quarterback communicator and talking him through, here's the play, don't forget about this, think about this if you get this look. So, it's just kind of normal talk that we have, even if it's just not a blitz type look, where I'm always just giving him some reminders, just opening that dialogue because I do have the opportunity to do that. So, I want to maximize as much time as I can talk to him, and I think he likes it. He likes that feedback, that constant talk as he's seeing the same thing. Sometimes he sees something that I'm seeing but he's like, alright, I got it, I got this one under control, or even having an adjustment of his own that he liked a little bit better. So, that's built up through the week and then it carries over into the game.

Q: When the Commanders were preparing for you guys and Jaxson, they were heard on Hard Knocks saying, 'We can take the ball off him.' What do you think of that? What do you think of his ball security? That's obviously a huge thing for any rookie quarterback.

KAFKA: Yeah, it's something we emphasize every single week and Jaxson does a really good job holding on to the football and being a runner and protecting himself. I think all those things as we continue to work on them, not just with Jaxson but all the skill guys. This group that we're playing this week is one of the best. They're top three in the league in terms of turnovers, fumbles, fumble recoveries, so they do a great job punching at the football. We've got to have drills, and we've got to have an intent on each day in practice here to make sure we get that cleaned up and make sure we're excellent on the game day.

Q: With all that emphasis and everything, there's been so much talk around Jaxson and with Jaxson about running, protecting, all this other stuff. I mean, you were a quarterback, you're around quarterbacks, is it all too much? I mean, is it like you're going to emphasize what he needs to do, but is there a narrative with Jaxson that you think is just getting completely overblown with this stuff?

KAFKA: I don't necessarily listen to the narratives out there. Me and Jaxson talk each day. We talk about what's important for his job, what's important for the offense, how he's going to lead it, how he's going to operate throughout the week, how I can help him be an asset for game day. Then really the most important thing is just today. What's our objectives today? It's first, second down, it's the two minute, it's blitz emphasis, right? So those are the things that we're operating with and those are the things that we talk about daily. Don't get too bogged down with all the other stuff, it's alright, let's focus on what we can control today in the workday.

Q: Do you sense any confusion or trepidation or hesitation in him? You talk all the time with him about all this, about should I, shouldn't I? Can I just go out and play? People tell me I should do this, that kind of stuff. I'm sure you talk about that a lot with him.

KAFKA: I don't sense that. I sense a really aggressive player that's continuing to learn and grow and build an offense around him and he's taking all that in and he's making it his own and putting his fingerprint on it.

Q: He admitted after the game he didn't really understand quite fully why he was taken out of the game. You guys obviously talk to the league every week. What have they told you about that?

KAFKA: I'm not going to get into the injury stuff and the refs, but that was their decision. And again, like I said on Monday, they've got to make a decision for the betterment of the players and if they feel like a guy has got dinged up, then they've got to make that call. I respect it. It's all for player safety and so I support it. I'm for it. Obviously, you don't want a guy to ever come out of the game, but if it's because it's for a reason that they think is someone's hurt, then we get them looked at and we get them back in the game. And that's just another opportunity for another guy on our team to step up and go make the play while he's out.

Q: I ask you because the reality is they've called now four times for him to be checked. All four of those times, he actually passed. Is there anything you guys could do? Because every time he has to come off the field, you guys have to, you're changing quarterbacks in the middle of drives, in the middle of plays. Is there anything you guys can do about that to sort of prevent this from happening?

KAFKA: You know what, I don't know, because every week is a new week in terms of the refs and how they see it. And again, football's a violent game, so it's all up to interpretation of the refs. Again, I respect it. I understand the why behind it. But I think just that communication and understanding they've got to make a judgment call, split-second decisions just like the players do within the play. And again, those are the things that just come up. We live with it, and that's why we have great quarterbacks and great depth at our position so those guys can step up, and great trust in (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) and (quarterback Russell Wilson) Russ to go do that.

Q: Obviously you guys are missing (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers), but how would you assess how the offense has looked as a whole without him? Obviously, Jaxson's played well, (wide receiver) Wan'Dale's (Robinson) closing in on 1,000 yards and your tight ends have stepped up. How would you assess how this offense has looked without Malik, not saying he's not important, but just stepping up without him as a whole?

KAFKA: I think everyone, everyone, not just the receiver room, but the running back room in terms of (running back Cam Skattebo) Skatt, the O-line room stepping up, the quarterback, I mean, the whole collective. And that's just a compliment to our coaching staff and those guys getting to rally around each other, the players getting to rally around each other. I'm just really proud of that group for stepping up regardless of the injuries, regardless of the situation, continuing to fight, continuing to battle, coming in and having rockstar walkthroughs and having installations that open up great dialogue and communication between the coaches and the players to really make sure we're all on the same page. So, I'm proud of the group. We have a bunch of great leaders. You hit on Wan'Dale and (wide receiver Darius) Slayton, but you can go down the list of (tackle) Andrew Thomas, (guard Greg Van Roten) GVR, (guard Jon) Runyan, (center John Michael Schmitz Jr.) JMS, (offensive lineman Jermaine) Eluemunor. These are all leaders on that front five that stand out to me, you know what I mean? And I'm proud of those guys. These guys step up. When there's an opportunity for them to step up and make a play, they've made them. Again, I can't express how much I appreciate that.

Q: On that note, mentioning the leaders, you guys have been in these games and they just haven't gone the way you wanted them to. How pleased are you with how the guys have competed, even though, for example, first half didn't go as well as you wanted. Second half you guys play better. How impressed have you been with how the guys have competed during this losing streak, even though the wins haven't come?

KAFKA: I think the main goal is to win. We want to win and there's no substitute for that. I think the guys are playing their tails off. I appreciate that, but we've got to continue to find a way, continue to push just a little bit more. Where's our edge that we can find to get ourselves over the hump to win a game? And that's things that we're stressing, whether it's fundamentals, whether it's scheme, whether it's matchups. Those are the things that we're going to evaluate and continue to try and grow from. Yes, all that stuff is right. We're battling, we're playing hard. That's good, we're going to need that, we're going to need more of that to win.

Q: Obviously, you guys did a lot of work on (Vikings quarterback) J.J. McCarthy when he was coming out of the draft last year. What did you see from him then and when you watch him, what do you see from him now?

KAFKA: I really enjoyed my time with him, working him out and getting to know him over the course of - a really sharp kid, great kid with a cool personality. Obviously, he's having some production right now. He's doing a nice job of managing that game and owning how they're operating on offense and getting the ball to those playmakers. He's operating fast and aggressive.

Q: What do you mean by cool personality?

KAFKA: He's got a unique personality. I think he's got just kind of a laid-back chill, but when the lights turn on and when the ball's out there, rolls out there, he kind of flips a little bit of a switch and it's cool to watch that.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: How important is it for you personally and for the team to snap this losing streak in the final few games of the season?

DART: Extremely important and excited for a good test this week.

Q: You hear a lot about (Minnesota Vikings Defensive coordinator Brian) Flores as a scheme. When you turn on the tape, what jumps up to you?

DART: Just chaos, chaos just trying to disguise different looks and bring a whole bunch of different pressures. But they're organized in the back end too, so they do it soundly.

Q: How do you keep your spirit up and do you also try to do that for your teammates just to keep the energy going and the positivity?

DART: Yeah, I just want to win bad. I mean, that's just really what it comes down to. We're all eager, we just want that feeling again. So, we're looking for it, we're trying to find answers. And the biggest thing is just, like you said, try to keep the spirits up and encourage everybody in the locker room. And we still got three weeks left, so it'll be really big for us to try to stack on this as a team. You only have so many opportunities with the guys in that locker room, so you definitely want to take advantage of it.

Q: The HBO cameras and microphones caught the Commanders talking about you. I'm sure you're probably aware of that, and said a bunch of things, which I'm sure teams always talk about when they talk. But one of the things they said was, we can get the ball off him.

DART: I mean, they got a pick off me. I haven't really been a turnover heavy player my whole entire career. So, I think that's just one thing that coaches say in every single meeting. It doesn't matter what team you're on, that conversation goes up in every single team meeting.

Q: I mean, when you heard that, and you heard, treat him like a running back. He's not going to do this, you've heard all this already but just hear it out there. I mean, obviously, I get it that people talk about the other team and how they can attack them. Did any of that, what you heard, make you think twice or make you think, why are they saying this?

DART: No, absolutely not. I mean, (Georgia head coach) Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time that he played against me, so did (former Alabama head coach) Nick Saban, so did every coach that I played in college. So, this is nothing new, just try to go out there and play smart, and be available for your team.

Q: What did they say? Did they say stuff like, he's not going to slide, we have to hit him, what kind of stuff did Kirby Smart and Nick Saban say?

DART: I mean, I can't put together exactly what they said, but there were definitely a lot of interviews that we can all go back and look at. This isn't a new thing that's been brought up in my career.

Q: Are you watching Hard Knocks?

DART: No, I'm not. I have a lot of other things to worry about.

Q: Does that fire you up at all anymore? When you hear the opposition saying this? Does it kind of get you going even a little bit more?

DART: I mean, it just gets me excited. I mean, just as a competitor, you want to go out there and compete. And obviously, they're acknowledging respect in a way, too. So, I appreciate that. You want to go out there and play really good for your team. And I think any time that there's teams that are game planning and they definitely give respect to a player, I think it's for a reason. And we do the exact same thing when we go against defenses. So that just competitive atmosphere is the best one to play in, for sure.

Q: (Interim head coach Mike) Kaf talked a little bit about, again, going back to the idea of going against this defense. Having answers, play to play against this team, and knowing what you have, and kind of build that in. Has that grown in what you've been able to see on a game day, to have more answers for defenses as you guys have progressed through the season?

DART: Yeah, I think obviously this week is a little bit different just because of what Flores does on their side of the ball. So, you got to have an answer every single play. But ever since I was put into this role, that was the same thing. You always have to have answers to certain pressures, to certain blitzes. So that doesn't really change anything. It's just more frequent with what their defense does.

Q: Does it change the way you approach your preparation? I know you put a lot of time in anyway, but you know what's the challenge this week. So, are you watching more, are you watching, do you go further back with Flores? How do you approach it?

DART: You definitely have to go further back into what he does, because his bag is deep, and you have to be prepared for it. It's not like different teams where you can kind of watch more of the most recent games to see how they've been calling it. Him, he'll go all the way back to how he schemed something up against this offense years ago, and where he found success. So, you definitely have to go back in the archives a little bit. But at the same time, you can't crowd your mind too much. Eventually, you got to go out there and you just have to play ball.

Q: Mike was saying that he believes you like hearing from him before the headset gets cut of. What do you like about that? Is that true that you like getting as much input as possible before you're kind of out there on your own?

DART: I mean, I like communication, same way that I had it in college. And you just want to go out there and just be as prepared as you can. The majority of all the quarterbacks that I know of are the exact same way, and you like to get the information and be able to go out there and just process it and make adjustments that need to be made.

Q: Are you looking for more information or confirmation of what you're seeing? Like if Mike is telling you something that you're seeing as well, is that kind of what you prefer, the confirmation or new information, different information?

DART: Yeah, that's hard. I mean, it cuts off in our ears. So, a lot of times, by the time we get set, he's not able to see it too. It's more of just like, we all get reminders of, if we get this certain look, let's alert it to this, let's kill it to this. So, it's really just reminders for each play. And that just kind of comes in through the play call.

Q: You talked about how much you hate losing, and obviously a lot of the guys on this team, they've been through it with this team. But just your first time seeing this group, how have you seen the veterans handle this season with losing? How has that kind of inspired you just to keep competing knowing that they're trying to compete as well too?

DART: Yeah, I think that I definitely have an optimistic perspective on where this place is going to be eventually. And I think that every road is not the same. So, you're going to face some struggle, but I know that when we get to a certain point, I'm going to appreciate a lot of the adversity that was faced. Because you're going to enjoy and understand how hard it is to win in this league. So, I'm definitely optimistic, and fortunately for me, I'm really young. So, there's time to make adjustments, and obviously we want it now and a lot of things haven't really gone our way this year. But I know that eventually we're going to reach the place that we want to be. For the vets, I know that it's really hard for them because a lot of the guys know they've experienced this for consecutive years. And I think the biggest thing is for a lot of us young guys, we're telling them eventually this is going to turn around, and it's going to all be worth it. So, I think that we just have a really mature team and it's definitely hard, but we're trying our best to overcome it and take the right mindset for steps forward.

Q: When you watch film, what do you like about what you're doing out there? And where do you think you still need to improve?

DART: I think there's a ton of places to improve. I'm still getting the hang of this game. It's just a complete step up from the college level. And there's a lot of adjustments that need to be made. So, I feel like I have a ton of growing to continue to do, which is exciting. But at the same time, you want to be perfect, and you want to execute things the right way and to win every opportunity that you have. So, I understand that more reps and more experience, I'm going to continue to get better. But from a film study purpose, you have to be even keeled. You can't be too high or too low with your emotions. And you have to be process driven, like I've said before, just constantly trying to get better.

Q: Going back to the last question, you've expressed that sentiment a few times. What gives you the optimism that this will improve? I guess, what do you see with the building, with the team?

DART: Well, I think that we have some really good players on our team. That's one thing. And we haven't had a game where it's like we can't compete with anybody. We've been able to compete and bring it to a wire against some of the best teams in the league we just haven't been able to finish and at the same time, another reason why I'm optimistic is a lot of us are really young, and we're going to have a ton of time to continue to get better with each other and we got some guys who I think are dogs. I think it's just, obviously, we've had some injuries. We've had some things here and there. You have to control what you can control, but at the same time, the view of what it can be, we have pieces who are elite pieces. And we just need to fine tune things here and there, and we're going to get there.

Q: What do you attribute to how this offense has been able to thrive so well? Obviously, not having (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) for you, but just you have still been able to put up points. (Wide receiver) Wan'Dale's (Robinson) having a great year, (running back Tyrone) Tracy's, (running back Cam Skattebo) Skatt, (wide receiver Darius) Slay, obviously. What do you attribute that to that why this offense has been able to kind of not, I mean, still click in some ways without Malik?

DART: Yeah, well, you definitely can't replicate Malik. He's the best receiver in the NFL, in my opinion. So, I think that guys have done a good job of stepping up. We don't have a ton of MAs (missed assignments). Usually for us, we're all on the same page. We play in sync together, and we have to capitalize on some more opportunities that we have consistently. But I think that we've done a good job of kind of the next man up mentality, and guys have been able to play really hard and I think that that's one thing that when you watch the tape, I think that our guys, we play hard together, and we really compete at a high level.