Head Coach Brian Daboll

BRIAN DABOLL: So, we're making a quarterback switch here from (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and we're going to go with (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito). I spoke with all the quarterbacks this morning before our morning meeting and let them know the direction that we're going. Those are never easy conversations. Got a lot of respect for all three of those guys. After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape and being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that's the reason why we're going with Tommy. (Quarterback) Drew (Lock) will be the backup. Continue to work with him. He's been nothing but a pro and as was Daniel. It's never an easy conversation to have with the players. But felt like this was a necessary move for us and look forward to working with Tommy and getting him ready to go against Tampa.

Q: Why now with the move? Obviously, it's the bye week. You're on a five-game losing streak. But why now actually make the move with Daniel?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think you said some of those things. We're obviously not playing the way any of us want to play and that's on all of us. But felt like this was a decision that we needed to make here and try to spark things, change things up. We went and did it with Tommy. Again, we spent a lot of time here over the last week of evaluating a lot of things and just felt like this was the best thing for us.

Q: Obviously you guys signed Drew. Gave him a decent contract. And he was the backup in every game. So usually, the backup gets the call and not the number three guy. Why flipping over him to go to Tommy?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I understand the question. Again, I got a lot of confidence in Drew, the way he's handled himself since he's been here, and he handled this well too. Being a professional. Again Tommy, we've been with Tommy here for a little bit. He's done a nice job, I would say, throughout practices here. But also, we have something to lean on by going back and watching him operate some of our stuff from last year. This is no indication on Drew whatsoever. He's been excellent for us. It was more about what I felt Tommy gave us.

Q: Can you tell us when the decision was made? Did you make it this morning? Did you make it over the weekend?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I've been doing a lot of work over the bye week, including Saturdays and Sundays. And felt comfortable this morning coming in and letting those guys know before the meeting so we can get the week started here and get on to Tampa preparations. But I didn't want to make a decision right after the game. However that game went. I wanted to take our time and watch a lot of tape. Not just this year's, last year's, some other things, too. And try to make the best decision we can make for our team. That's what I did.

Q: You mentioned having had Tommy (DeVito) before. Given where you're at, the personnel you have, how much do you tweak to maybe better suit Tommy versus what you had with Daniel?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think that's what we'll be doing here over the next course of this week and getting ready for Tampa Bay. Tommy has his strengths that we like to try to utilize. We'll try to put the game plan together that's best for our football team but also is conducive for him to go out there and play well.

Q: You could get a spark now. So, what do you say to the fans who don't want to sacrifice higher placement in the draft in order to try to get victories in the remaining seven games?

BRIAN DABOLL: We have a lot of football in front of us. I think we all need to be committed to doing everything we can do to close out the season the right way and just take it one week at a time. That's where our focus is going to be is with Tampa and certainly all the issues that they present defensively, particularly on the offensive side speaking. The only thing we control is our response of this is how the season has been so far. It doesn't dictate where the season is going. We put a lot of time, effort and energy into this and that's what we'll all do.

Q: You said (Drew) Lock will remain number two, right?

BRIAN DABOLL: He will.

Q: Why is Daniel (Jones) going from one to three?

BRIAN DABOLL: Again, I won't get into the particulars of the conversation. I think Drew's been doing a good job. Again, we're shaking things up. Obviously putting Tommy there at the one and we'll do the same thing here keeping Drew at the two and keep working with him.

Q: Will Daniel (Jones) remain with the team? In situations like this in the past… like Derek Carr, a few years ago, went home. Will Daniel (Jones) do that or will he stick…

BRIAN DABOLL: I understand the question. No, he's here. We had a talk right before the meeting today. Never easy. I got a lot of respect for how he goes about his business, for how Drew (Lock) does, for how Tommy (DeVito) does. Those aren't easy conversations. But he's here.

Q: You said you've done a lot of evaluation looking back at last year, this year and everything, why do you think you weren't able to get Daniel (Jones) to let alone raise his level play, just get back to the level play he had in 2022?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think that's all-encompassing. That's on everybody. That's just not on Daniel (Jones). That's on me. That's on an entire offensive performance. So, again, making this decision to try to spark it and give Tommy (DeVito) an opportunity. He did some nice things when he was in there and he played as a rookie, and I know he's eager for the opportunity.

Q: Are there any other personnel changes that you're going to be making on either side of the ball here?

BRIAN DABOLL: I would say that's specific based on the packages that we have. Personnel groups offensively or defensively, a lot less than this, obviously, where you just see the quarterback situation. But there'll be different guys mixing in and out and we'll take a look at some of these guys that have done a nice job since they've been here. Maybe they haven't had as many reps or we implement them into some personnel groups. That's what we'll do here over the next couple of days when we get ready for Tampa (Bay Buccaneers) is to decide where these guys fit.

Q: With Tommy (DeVito), obviously, we haven't seen him a lot since training camp. Where have you seen the most growth from him since last we saw him in the preseason games?

BRIAN DABOLL: You go by the meetings that you have with these guys. He's out there practicing and taking show team reps and doing those type of things. I think he has good fundamentals and he's got a good, quick release. But it's really some of the things in the meeting room when you're talking about tape, you're talking about pressure packages or re-identifications or checks and things like that. He's played almost 700 snaps for us, preseason and regular season included. So, experience helps. We'll do everything we can to get him ready.

Q: Did you continue to have those daily meetings or weekly meetings that you had with him last year?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I've had some of them. Again, obviously, the time is spread out a little bit differently. I've had some of them with him and we're just trying to develop him the best we can, and he's done a good job of taking to the coaching.

Q: I don't want to ignore the elephant in the room. So, you benched Daniel Jones. What's his future with this franchise beyond this season?

BRIAN DABOLL: I understand the question. We're just focused here on this week and the decision that we made to get these guys ready to go. That's where our focus is.

Q: I would assume Daniel (Jones) asked you that question, right? Did that come up? Is that something you guys discussed?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'll keep the conversation that we had between us.

Q: Regarding Tommy (DeVito), I get it, you're confident in him now, but I think that would lead anybody to say, 'Well, if you're confident in him now… He hasn't played since last year. So, why was Drew Lock signed?' Why are you more confident in him now than you were in March to make him the backup or any of the first 11 weeks when you could have made him the number two (quarterback) instead of Drew Lock?

BRIAN DABOLL: I understand the question. Again, we went back and we looked at a lot of stuff. We talked about a lot of things and just felt like this was the right move at this time for us. So, Tommy (DeVito) will be working hard to get ready to play. I know Drew (Lock) will be a good teammate with him. We'll just focus on trying to get better and get ready for this week.

Q: If you're confident in Tommy (DeVito) now, why was he not given a realistic opportunity during the summer to be the backup quarterback or compete for the backup quarterback job? Now, just 11 weeks later, it seems like he's going all the way up the depth chart.

BRIAN DABOLL: Like I said, Tommy (DeVito) has been improving since he's been here. I have confidence in Drew (Lock) as well. Just felt like this was the right move to make with Tommy (DeVito).

Q: When you took Daniel (Jones) out against the Eagles and then the next week you put him back in as the starter against the Steelers, you said the reason was because he gave you the best chance. Do you no longer believe that's true, that he gives you the best chance?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'm excited to see what Tommy (DeVito) brings to the table. That's why he's out there. We had a lot of conversations. Studied a lot of stuff. Again, (we) have confidence in Tommy (DeVito) and that's the reason why he's in there.

Q: Has Tommy (DeVito) outplayed Drew (Lock) in practice?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say they've both done a good job in the things that we've asked them to do, the look teams, the preparation and being ready to go in case their number's called. The conversation that we had with Drew (Lock) this morning was a productive one. Obviously, he would've liked to be the starter and I understand that. But the spark that Tommy (DeVito) gave, not just the offense but the team last year, I think is important.

Q: How do you feel the locker room will react to… Of course, this benching is at least partly performance-based, but it's well known that there's money and a financial penalty tied to an injury here with Daniel (Jones) if he keeps playing. How do you guard against the players in the locker room feeling like there are motivations outside of putting the best team on the field for the decisions you're making in this spot?

BRIAN DABOLL: Just like I said before, that's why Tommy (DeVito) is out there. I think he'll be ready to go and I'm excited to see him.

Q: You said you had a lot of conversations. How much did that injury guarantee kind of factor into the decision to bench Daniel (Jones) at this point?

BRIAN DABOLL: The coaches and I met, I'd say, every day last week almost and into the weekend. We evaluate the performance of the players, and we made a decision based off that to go with Tommy (DeVito).

Q: How do you guys look injury-wise coming into this week? Anything long-term?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think we'll be good. I don't have the injury stuff with me. You got ahead of me on that one. But we're going to have a walkthrough here today and everybody will be a full participant in it.

Q: (Outside linebacker) Kayvon Thibodeaux, do you expect him to come back after the bye?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's a good question. I think there's a possibility of that. I don't want to jump the gun here on it.

Q: But he's not on the practice field yet? Because you said everyone's going to be there.

BRIAN DABOLL: Everybody that can participate will participate and then we'll make a decision on Kayvon (Thibodeaux) based on where he's at.

Q: With Daniel, how did that conversation go with him? How did he handle the news? Obviously, he wants to be the starter. So, how would you describe his reaction?

BRIAN DABOLL: I got a lot of respect for Daniel (Jones). I've said that before. Those conversations will remain private. Certainly, you're not going to be happy about that as a competitor and I respect that.

Q: We ask you this a lot, but how does ownership factor into this? How did they factor into this specific situation? I know you talk to them all the time. But how did they factor into the situation? The perception from some outside is, 'Hey, this is a move you're making because ownership wants it. It could help put fans in the seats. It can create some buzz.' What do you say to that?

BRIAN DABOLL: I understand your question. Again, our conversations will be private. We have plenty of them. Looking forward to Tommy (DeVito) getting ready here to go against Tampa.

Q: Did ownership give you input, or was it you guys coming to them and saying, 'Hey, this is the decision that we made?'

BRIAN DABOLL: Again, I respect the question. Our conversations will remain private. But we made this decision and going to get Tommy (DeVito) ready to go.