Head Coach Brian Daboll

BRIAN DABOLL: So, a couple things for you. Not practicing today: (tackle) Jermaine Eluemunor, (tackle) Evan Neal, (cornerback Deonte) Tae Banks, (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) Nacho and (inside linebacker) Bobby Okereke. Bobby's got a back, Nacho's got his neck, Tae's a rib, Evan is a hip, Eluemunor is a quad. Limited in practice today in some form would be (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) with his forearm, (wide receiver) Bryce Ford(-Wheaton), (defensive lineman) D.J. Davidson, and (defensive tackle) Jordan Riley. And we will activate (inside linebacker) Dyontae Johnson's window here.

Q: Where do you stand with Tommy?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think Tommy's improving. He'll throw out here today, probably do some show team reps. (Quarterback) Drew's (Lock) going to take all the reps with the ones today, and he'll be the quarterback this week. And if Tommy is well enough to be the second quarterback, he will be, and if not, it'll be (quarterback) Tim (Boyle). But I think he's trending in the right direction. We'll see where he is today.

Q: With quarterback, is it based on Tommy's health or Drew being the better quarterback?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say Drew did some good stuff in Dallas. He also did some things that he can improve on. I want to give him a full week of preparation, practice, to let him go out there and play this week.

Q: What kind of an impact do you think that'll have on him? He was never taking reps with the starters. I know he did some walkthroughs and stuff, but just to have an actual week of practice with the ones and then go into this game.

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he took the walkthrough today. He'll take all the reps, prepare this week as if he's the starter.

Q: Given the lack of reps he did have, and I mean obviously he turned the ball over twice, which was the most, but you can't take those away, but if you look beyond that, how did you feel like he played last week or last game without much preparation?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I mean he's been preparing since he's been here in terms of understanding the plays, but he made some good plays. He made some loose plays, plays with his feet, made some loose plays throwing the ball down the field when he was stepping up or getting pressured and then keeping his eyes down the field. Have to correct some of those turnovers. Those are big things, but we'll give him the whole week here to prepare for this game.

Q: The guys that aren't practicing today, any long-term concerns with them?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say week-to-week.

Q: For all of them?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yes.

Q: Do you think some of those guys have a chance for Sunday?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think they all have a chance, but I think it's too early to tell how optimistic I am with it.

Q: Bobby hurt his back in the game or just kind of woke up with it?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, just sore. He's sore right now with it, and again, it's getting better, but we'll see where he's at.

Q: With (tight end) Theo Johnson, is that a long-term injury? Does he have to have surgery?

BRIAN DABOLL: He did. Yeah, he had surgery yesterday. He'll be in all the meetings.

Q: Was it Lisfranc?

BRIAN DABOLL: He had surgery on his foot, so it'll be some time here, which is too bad. He was really doing a nice job. Great young man. Worked extremely hard. Feel terrible for him. Tough. I mean he did it towards the end of the game, he kept playing through it. He didn't really know anything was wrong until after the game when he got looked at.

Q: What about (defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence II)? Did he have to have anything done?

BRIAN DABOLL: No, he's just swollen, sore, but didn't have to get surgery.

Q: You guys brought (tight end) Greg Dulcich in now that Theo gets hurt. In that situation, I mean I know it's only five weeks, but is that a guy, you put a little emphasis on to get him out there?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, we'll start looking at him here and see what he can do. He's a fast guy. He's had some production and injured some, so we'll get a look at him.

Q: There was report over the weekend that you guys initially asked (Vikings quarterback) Daniel (Jones) to stay home. Can you confirm it or explain that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Respect the question, we're moving on from those situations here. Getting ready for the Saints.

Q: Who would wear the green dot if Bobby can't?

BRIAN DABOLL: I mean, we'd have some. (Inside linebacker) Micah (McFadden) would be in there. (Inside linebacker) Darius Muasau would be in there.

Q: Talk about the seasons that (cornerback Dru) Phillips and (safety Tyler) Nubin have had this year and (running back Tyrone) Tracy (Jr.), the three young guys that were kind of…

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I mean Theo and (wide receiver Malik) Nabers, too. All five of those guys have contributed in a positive way. They're young players. We have a young team. I think they're improving in a lot of areas. Nubin's played a lot of football, had a lot of tackles. Dru been productive in some of the things. Obviously, Malik's been productive. Theo was coming on and Tracy's done a nice job. All things we still need to work on, but good young class.

Q: What kind of a loss would Bobby be? He plays pretty much every snap. How do you assess what kind of impact he's made this year as compared to last year?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'm not going to get into comparisons from one year to the next. Bobby's been a good leader for us. Hopefully he'll be ready to play, and if he's not, the young guys are going to have to step up and do a good job.

Q: I guess depending on Bobby's status, you would only have one healthy captain…(inaudible)

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we have some veterans in the room, guys like (guard Greg Van Roten) GVR and people who have played a while that have done a good job in their leadership role. But captains, we're down on them.

Q: With Dexter Lawrence out, how do you fill that void?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, you can't replace Dexter. I'd say we have a number of injuries on the defensive line right now, so we have a lot of young players that are going to have to, they've been working hard to continue to improve. (Defensive line coach Andre Patterson) Dre's done a nice job with them, but you're never going to replace Dexter, and we'll see where Nacho is, DJ, too. We've got some guys injured in that spot. These young guys are going to have to do a nice job of doing the best they can.

Q: When you have that many injuries, do you have to change what you do defensively?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think there's always conversation in terms of what we need to do to shore up things. If you're missing a good player, it's hard to replace some of those really good players. But certainly, each week, you try to do the best job you can in terms of game planning.

Q: At tackle, if Eluemunor and Neal can't go on Sunday, it'll be (offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yes, Ezeudu.

Q: Ezeudu at right?

BRIAN DABOLL: We'll see here how these next couple of days of practice.

Q: It'll be Ezeudu and (tackle Chirstopher) Hubbard as the first guys up?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yes

Q: How close is (tackle) Tyre Phillips to being ready to step in?

BRIAN DABOLL: He's had a long layoff, so I think he's improving. He remembers all the stuff that we've done, but he's still catching up to the technique and being out there every day and coming off that injury.

Q: And you also added a defensive lineman (Cory Durden) from the Rams practice squad. What did you like about him and how soon can he contribute?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, it'll be his first real practice out here today, so he'll be out here practicing. We'll get a look at him and doing our things, and Dre will spend as much time with him as he can.

Q: You mentioned some of the rookies before. Obviously, (defensive tackle) Elijah (Chatman) was an undrafted rookie. What do you see from him? He's obviously probably going to have a bigger role here.

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we've used him more, I'd say, in passing situations. Obviously, the last game we had to use him a bunch. He's got quickness. Obviously, a shorter guy, but quickness, powerful. He's going to have to do a good job, both in the run and pass, as all those guys. Riley, we'll see where he's at, he'll be limited. D.J. Davidson, then you've got guys on the practice squad, (defensive tackle) Casey (Rogers), (defensive lineman Elijah) Garcia and Durden that we just signed. So, a lot of young guys that are going to have to step up.

Q: Is Chatman sturdy enough to play against the run?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he's strong. He's a powerful guy. He's obviously just a little undersized in terms of his height, but we kept him for a reason.

Q: I'm just curious, what do you think when you heard Malik say, 'I don't care about drops, I want them to keep throwing me the ball'. What do you think of that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I mean Malik's a competitive young man. I think having the next play mentality is something that we preach. I also think that he wants to make every play that comes his way.

Quarterback Drew Lock

Q: How much of a difference can it make, just for your entire week going into a game, if you know you're working with the starters and you're getting every rep in practice? What does that do for you as you prepare to play?

DREW LOCK: I think the reps help a ton. I'd say anybody in this position would say the same thing. Getting back out there, letting them hear your cadence, letting them hear you calling it in the huddle, rhythm and timing with the receivers, even rhythm and timing for me with my feet on certain plays, whatever we've got up this week, it helps tremendously. I'm excited and appreciative of getting a little practice time with these guys.

Q: What have these last three weeks been like for you? It's probably been kind of a roller coaster.

DREW LOCK: It's professional football. You expect roller coasters here and there. But, just excited to be able to go out and play one more time and get to practice with these guys, let them feel my energy a little bit and show them what I'm all about during the week and then go out there and try to get done on Sunday.

Q: Do you think in a second start that we'll see a different version of you or a better version of you? The first time is always the first time, in a long time. Do you think the second time is going to be that much better?

DREW LOCK: I hope that every chance I get to start here, you keep seeing a better me every start. But the realistic side to that is it's football, this game's hard. But I'm confident that having a week of practice and being able to go out there and play, there's going to be some things that I do better. Hopefully I can scramble for as much as I did last time (laughs). But we'll see. Just whatever comes to you in the game, you got to make it work. But, having practice reps and being able to get some timing down with these guys, it's been big.

Q: What did you see from watching back the film?

DREW LOCK: I think just some little details here and there. Taking care of the ball, being great in the pocket, two hands on the ball and, obviously, make a better decision on the screen. But there's some good things and some bad things like there are every game. Like I said, just excited to maybe fix some of those minor details with having a little bit of practice this week, clean up my feet a little bit, get to work, and go try to play our best game on Sunday.

Q: Obviously wanting to win, wanting to play well is all there. Is it impossible for you not to think of this as some sort of audition for you, for your resume?

DREW LOCK: My focus is on playing good football for this team and myself, trying to get us a win and do the best I can. If I go out there and do my job with the best ability, I'll make these guys in the locker room proud and make myself proud and that's my main goal every Sunday.

Q: It's not just you being kind of thrown in there. You got the shake-up, obviously because of the nature of the injuries along the offensive line. Is it easier because you're all kind of learning together or is it harder because everybody's got to pick up and figuring things out on the fly?

DREW LOCK: It goes both ways. I think the silver lining of it is when you are playing with some backups, we've been in a huddle together on scout team all year, so they're familiar with me and I'm familiar with them and the pockets they set. We're out there grinding together. Going to have a week of practice, like I said, this week instead of a short week for some of those guys that had to come in and step in. Now we get to put the pads on during the week. Excited for those guys to get reps. Same thing with me. I'm excited to go out there and play well on Sunday. I know the offensive line and everybody's fired up as well.

Q: How are you feeling physically?

DREW LOCK: Good. The next morning, like every game, you feel it, especially after not playing for a little bit. But after a couple days you bounce back. I was treating it like a normal week. I'm like, 'Alright, it's Friday. That would technically be Monday. Alright, it's Saturday. That would technically be Tuesday. I can practice tomorrow. Let's get it going.' You think like that a little bit. But I feel good.

Q: You mentioned your energy that you bring. in your words, what's the energy that you bring to this team and the emotions?

DREW LOCK: I think there's a balance of being a high emotion guy, but also being loose as well. Not showing any tension in the huddle. Not showing any signs of defeat, any signs of, 'Alright, we got to go down there and get this.' Leaving tension out of it but being intentional, I guess. That's kind of who I am. I'm a loose guy, but at the same time, I can turn it on and be fiery when I need to and I think the guys feel that. Getting out there in a game setting, lights on, it's fun. I get to bring out a little different tenacity out of myself, because I am a loose, smile all the time, have fun but I can make it very serious when it needs to be.

Q: How would you characterize the feedback that you've got from (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) since the game?

DREW LOCK: It was what I expected. It's what I felt. I thought that was cool. Being able to leave the game and before even breaking it down as a team, I felt like I knew what I did wrong, I felt like I knew what I did right and when me and him talked, it was very on par with the same thoughts. That was a good sign.

Q: I don't know if this has been asked of you or not, but how did the dynamic with you and (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) work on the sideline? I know you two were tight and you guys bounced things off of each other. So, how did that work for you guys?

DREW LOCK: It was just as I expected. When he was playing, I was there for him, giving him the tips and stuff that I might have seen from the sideline and it was the exact same for him to me. I appreciate it. Like I mentioned in weeks before, having a tight quarterback room that's willing to work together and keep everything good, that's a special room. I appreciate him for doing that and I know he appreciated me for doing the same for him.

Q: To go essentially three months where you guys were just in that same role, and it was a little bit routine, monotonous, this is just our job every week to do what we do, and now in a span of 15 days you guys have now flip-flopped roles and gone through… Is that just the NFL or do you even still take a step back and go, 'We've got to get things back to normal a little bit here'?

DREW LOCK: I think it's just the NFL and being ready for your opportunity. I think the blessing in disguise is both me and Tommy (DeVito) have played both roles. We've been backups that have had to be ready to play. We've also been starters for multiple weeks, where whatever situation that we did get thrown into, we were going to be ready for it. I feel like if Tommy (DeVito) was up here, he would have said the same thing. Having both backup and starter roles under our belt, I feel like you can go do both at a high level.

Q: Does it all come back to you when you're in the heat of a battle in a game? You've been playing quarterback for a long time. Does it all come back to you, the huddle, the cadence, the running around, the getting the first down, the getting sacked? Do you go, 'Okay, this is...'?

DREW LOCK: It absolutely does. It's hard to describe, but sideline watching a game, compared to being right behind the center, two completely different deals. It looks fast from the sideline. But, when you get out there and you know the plan, you know what you're doing, you know your guys around you, it does sort of slow down and become flashbacks to high school and college and just taking all your reps that you've accumulated over time. It does click back in and you get to go be the guy that you've always been and you want to go be, the guy playing.

Q: I've heard people call you a gunslinger out there on the field. I'm sure you've heard that your entire career. Is there a balance to that or is it just one of those things, like you said, 'Play loose, don't tighten up and just go for it.'?

DREW LOCK: There's definitely a balance. The gunslinger always comes with the pro and the con. The guy that's going to go out there and be able to make every throw, but the negative side of that term is you might put the ball at risk sometimes. There's a balance. There's a balance. You can be a gunslinger and take care of the football and that's the balance that I've been working towards since freshman year of college, right? Being able to balance both is huge. It's huge for this team. It's huge for the defense, being able to keep them on the sideline and continuing drives. The longer we stay on the field, the more I get the balls in the guys' hands, it's better for us.

Q: Your start against the Eagles last year, that big win, that was your second start?

DREW LOCK: That was my second start, correct.

Q: What did you learn from that, going from one (start) to two (starts), that can carry over this week?

DREW LOCK: Just dialing into a game plan. Having the week, like you mentioned. That first start in Seattle versus San Francisco was kind of a half week of practice for me, again. Then being able to have a full week you pick up some little details that you might not have picked up when you're not the guy out there practicing and running it. I think I've got to dive into that this week and watch the tape over and over again from practice and just figure out how I can operate this offense the best and lead us down the field to score.

Q: With the kind of weapon that (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) is, what's the temptation and the balance of not wanting to go that way X amount of times a game?

DREW LOCK: You've got to let the game flow. You've got to let it come to you. If I got my opportunity to throw it to him, I was going to take it. But, at the same time, my job is to know the play that's being called, why we're calling it, what's my read on it and execute in that sense. If he was the first and he's open, I'm going to give it to him. But, if he's the third and one and two are open, you're not passing that up.

Q: What's your view of what he's been as a rookie this year? He's got a lot of catches and he's made some pretty dynamic plays. What have you seen from the sideline and under center?

DREW LOCK: He's been great. Being able to create space in routes is huge in this league and does a phenomenal job of doing that. It's probably his best skill besides going up and getting balls, getting 50-50 balls. He's shown that on tape this year. The sky's the limit for him. Obviously, every single snap, every game, every rep, he gets to take it to the next level and learn a little bit more about himself and about this league. I'm excited to see where it continues to go for him.

Q: What kind of a difference maker do you think he can become or is starting to become or has the potential to become?

DREW LOCK: A game changer type of guy. You've got to plan for him. You've got to be ready for him. I know just as much as we watch corners and their techniques, corners have got to watch him. Anytime you get a guy that they're going to spend a little extra time on and watch film, it's big for a program.

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Q: How would you characterize your season? Do you feel the same since you're coming back from the concussion? Or are the yards after catch not been what it was before…

MALIK NABERS: Are you talking about me individually?

Q: Yes, individually, personally…

MALIK NABERS: I feel good even though I (had) a concussion. Yards after catch, I'm not going to say every time I catch the ball, but I know I try my best to try to get as many yards as possible. I mean, if I'm tackled, I'm tackled. That's just how the game goes. These guys are athletes in this league. They rally to the football. They do their jobs. They know how to tackle right. But I've been trying my best to try to get as many yards after the catch as possible. The defense is keying on me even more rather than I was in the first weeks. I've got to make some adjustments. But, yeah, I don't feel any different than having a concussion afterwards.

Q: Is that what you think the biggest difference is between the production before the concussion and afterwards is the way that the attention kind of that you're getting?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I believe so. It's just the attention. I mean, they are keying in on what kind of routes I run. The 12th game of the season. Everybody watches film. They all are going matchmaking on what games, on which routes that I run, how I run my routes. It's the league. They're going to watch film on you. They rally to the football, get me on the ground. That's just how football is.

Q: So, what's the adjustment for you off that? Like what do you look at and say, 'how do I now deal with that'?

MALIK NABERS: I'm trying to get my head around quicker after I catch the ball. Just trying to feel the defenders even faster than I have before. That's really it. Just get a good key, get a good read before I turn my head and look for the football, where the defenders are and how they rally. And that's really it. That's what I did before times. Just able to feel what defenders are running to, what hip they're coming to and able to make a quick move fast. I've just got to try to find a better way to do that.

Q: You've had three different quarterbacks now throwing you the ball in games. Have you had that before in college? Do you remember having a situation like that? How do you develop chemistry with each of them?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I believe I did go through that my freshman year of college. We had (former LSU quarterback) Myles Brennan, I believe we had (former LSU quarterback) Max Johnson, had (LSU quarterback Garrett) Nussmeier there, too. So, we didn't know who was really going to start. But then Max started, and after Nuss came in some games and after in the bowl game, we had (wide receiver) Jontre Kirklin throwing to us. At the end of the day, it's still just catching the ball. Every quarterback has a different spin on the ball. But as long as you can just try to get a good key on how they throw the ball, get some catches after practice with them, just try to figure out how you can grip their ball. That's really it.

Q: Is that something you've been doing staying after practice with each of the guys, whoever's going to start that week?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I try to get as many catches as possible before practice, try to see the kind of spin on the football, try to see different ways to catch the football.

Q: What was your expectation about the kind of impact you could be? Obviously, you're confident in your ability and what you did in college. As a pro, how has it gone versus the way you thought it may go? Have you been as impactful as you thought you could be, or do you think there's more?

MALIK NABERS: I mean there's always more for me. I think I could be doing some amazing things right now. Is it going the way I thought it was going? No, not really. But I'm still continuing to work on trying to get that out. Like I said, I feel like I could be doing way more than I've been doing so far. God always has a better plan for you. You've just got to follow the steps.

Q: Going back to Hard Knocks, you said you don't deal with losing well. What have you learned about yourself through this season in having to deal with it?

MALIK NABERS: Just focus on more things you can control, my emotions, how I carry myself, character. Even though these things have been going down, how you can look at you in the mirror and just try to find a way for you to help the team out, help the team figure out how to win. Just like I said, focus on your character. You can't really do anything about it now. The record is the record. But you can still focus on moving forward.

Q: To deal with that and to kind of process that, those different emotions, have you done anything differently or been talking to people about that?

MALIK NABERS: No, I haven't really talked to anyone about that, no therapy or nothing. I'd rather handle stuff on my own. I know a lot of people preach that, don't handle everything on your own. But that's just kind of my way. That's kind of how I get over a lot of stuff is just handling it on my own way.

Q: You raised some eyebrows after the Dallas game about saying, 'I don't care if I drop it six times, keep throwing it to me.' Can you kind of expand on that a little bit? Because obviously the drops have probably been one of the things people like to get back this year, I'm assuming.

MALIK NABERS: Like I said, it's football. It's going to come with that. Everyone's going to drop the ball. I'm not saying everybody, because some people thrive on not dropping the ball. But it's the sport, it's a thing. But like I said, I just can't think about going into the game dropping the ball, after I drop the ball, keep it in my head like, 'I just dropped the ball.' I've just got to move forward. So that's what I was saying. It's not like I'm saying, 'Even though I'm dropping the ball, keep throwing me the ball.' Not selfish, what I'm saying is it's not something that I'm thinking about in my head after I drop the ball. It's next play mentality. I could drop five footballs. And then after that, they come at me for the game winner. And then I catch the game winner. Then everybody's happy and stuff like that. But like I said, keep trusting me. Some plays are not going to be made. I'm aware of that. But some plays are going to be made.

Q: How driven are you to be a part of the solution here? We've got a lot of young guys here that are getting a lot of playing time, rookies. How driven are you to try to be a part of that, turning this around?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I'm very driven. Like I said, things haven't been going the right way. But if you can turn around and make something spectacular out of nothing, I like doing that. It shows how much we rally around each other, how much we have leaders in this team and this offense. I'm trying to work on turning that narrative around.