Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: What did you see from (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) in Week 2?

MIKE KAFKA: I think, overall, I thought Daniel did a nice job. He took advantage of his opportunities downfield. I thought he was decisive but still plenty to improve on, but good job this last week.

Q: Why do you think your running game got going?

MIKE KAFKA: I thought our O-line did a really nice job of kind of getting a hat for a hat, working some nice double teams. Our running backs were trusting the holes and hitting them. (running back Devin Singletary) Motor, there's some really good examples of him just trusting and then making some things happen, across the line of scrimmage as well. I thought we were efficient; he averaged almost six yards a carry and did a nice job there.

Q: You've been here a while now. You know the offensive line has been an issue here for a long time, well before you guys got here. Hoping you could expand on the offensive line and what you're seeing from them. You said they did a nice job hat on a hat, but is there a bigger view on them? Like have they taken really accountability of the success of this offense?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I think it starts with (Offensive Line Coach Carmen Bricillo) Carm and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) James (Ferentz), those guys kind of leading the room in there and making sure they're all on the same page, kind of seeing it through the same set of eyes. And (center John Michael Schmitz Jr.) JMS, taking control that and IDing these things the right way. And it's been great to have the veteran guys in there that have played a lot of ball and played ball in this system before. So those guys have been really, really positive. And they're all working together. You can see that on the practice field. You see it in the meeting rooms when they're talking. And so, I think just continuing to work with that core group and it's been good to have some continuity there. So, those guys are doing a really good job.

Q: After how things went, the memory that the guys from last year's offensive line probably have. Has it been important to have guys come in with different experiences, kind of very clearly wash away last year? Because three of your top six guys weren't even part of it.

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, anytime you have guys that have experience, it always helps the room. So, they can always, they can lean on that experience. They've been in plays, they've been in games, whether it's tight games, games where you have a good feel of what maybe the other team could be doing, and then giving that and communicating back to the coaches on what they're seeing and what they're feeling. And then us as coaches, we've got to trust that and give them what they like and how we can put them in a position to be successful.

Q: Have you had a moment where you've looked at John Michael and said, 'Ok, not a rookie anymore. He's developed in this way or that way'?

MIKE KAFKA: I think this year he's had a lot of growth. Just being a good communicator, going from year one to year two is always kind of that jump. And when you have veterans, there's that urgency that he has to develop. And he's growing with that and he's developing that, and that's been really cool to see.

Q: I was going to follow up by asking about the veterans. Have you seen them kind of tutor him on their own or help him?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, absolutely, in their own way. All five of those guys have got to be working as one. And I think they spend a lot of time together talking about that and how they see it. There's a lot of different fronts and looks that you have to spit out really quickly. So being able to dissect that information, give it to them, and then go right before the snap is really important, and JMS has taken control of that.

Q: I understand if you have a player and he's really talented, you use him. I think Daniel's made 39 or 40 percent of his targets to (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers). Is there a danger that you're forgetting the other guys?

MIKE KAFKA: I think just every week is going to be different. You look at the defense they present, you look at the matchups and you try to put your best players in the positions to be successful. So, within the game, that could change. And certainly, you go in thinking one thing, they want to play a bunch of man or a bunch of zone. They switch, we have to make sure we go and adjust. And then it's about putting those guys in positions. So, whether that's the same or not this week or in the future, I don't know. You have to see how the game declares itself. But I think you always want to put your best player, your best scheme, or your best players in those spots so that they can be successful.

Q: You were obviously way more effective offensively on Sunday. The one thing you still haven't been able to do this year is really get those deep balls or those downfield shots. What do you kind of attribute that to?

MIKE KAFKA: I think kind of just part the game plan. 'What is the defense giving us? Are they playing a bunch of shell? Are they playing a bunch of post high? What are the schemes that we can do and put those players there?' It's really a feel of how the game's going. Whether that's mixing in run game or run action. So, you have to take all that kind of into account. I think though as we continue to kind of let the game just come to us as we're playing it and as we're calling it, then we'll have opportunities for that.

Q: How does (wide receiver) Jalin Hyatt, how can he become more consistent in his all-around game to get on the field from your vantage point?

MIKE KAFKA: Jalin's doing a great job in practice. He's a pro. He's staying late, meeting with (Wide Receivers) Coach (Mike) Groh, getting stuff detailed. He knows a bunch of spots on our offense. And it's just about getting him in the mix. And so, every week's different. Whether he's going to be playing a lot or a little depends on the game plan, depends on the spots that we want him in, what personnel groups you want to be in, whether it's big people or small people. Three tight ends, four receivers, all those things he's in the mix on. So, it just depends on if we end up getting to that in the game, depending on what the defense does.

Q: When you guys are putting together the game plan, how far do you dig in terms of, 'okay, they're going to do this, so we have to have this answer ready to go'? And I say that because yesterday Daniel made the point of saying, 'you can see during the game how Washington adjusted their coverage to Malik'. And the idea of now that should, in theory, free other things up. Now that you're seeing it happen now in two weeks, how they're going to play Malik, do you build that into your game plan in terms of, 'okay, we're going to have X, Y, and Z after this because we know they're probably going to handle it this way'?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I'll answer kind of two parts. Like the first part, you never really know exactly what they're going to do before the game. You get into the game, you see how they're playing it, you adjust, you have plays that you have for certain players. If they take that away, you have to transition to other stuff. But yeah, you account for that in the game plan. Here's a little package of things for this player, here's a little package of things for this player. And then you make sure they marry up with the run game, the run actions. And so, it's kind of a puzzle you're putting together before the game starts, kind of a chess match. If they do this, you do this type thing. But those are all things that we talk about.

Q: Does a player like (Browns defensive end) Myles Garrett require your offense to change your entire plan to account for that one player? Or is that overthinking it?

MIKE KAFKA: You definitely have to know where Myles is at. Same with (Browns defensive end) Z'Darius (Smith). I mean they have a bunch of really talented players on that defense. And (Browns Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Jim) Schwartz does a really nice job of really moving them around. I mean those guys line up everywhere. So, it's not just one side or one side of the field or anything like that. So, you have to make sure you're dialed in on where he's at. And then have the right schemes, right protections, right runs, and things like that that you can account for.

Q: Two years ago in Jacksonville, you found that one run that worked. You just attacked it. And then Sunday, (Head Coach Brian) Daboll kind of did the same thing with Nabers. What is that feeling like as a play caller when you recognize in game you found something that they're not going to stop?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah certainly, if it's effective, we try to make sure we continue to do that until they show us something. And a lot of times, it's almost built into the play. So, if it's single high, it's a pass. If it's two-shell, it's a run. Just in the simplest form. We have things like that in our offense. We have things like that in the run game. Run to run, pass to pass, run to pass. So, we just try to put ourselves in the best position and the best play call. And then giving those guys the reps as far as players.

Q: Do you guys need more out of your tight ends? I don't think they had a catch. I don't think they had a target. My point being, I heard everything you said the last eight minutes about scheme to scheme and whatnot. But then do you guys schematically have to do stuff to get them more involved?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, the tight ends are doing a great job. (Tight Ends) Coach (Tim) Kelly, (Offensive Assistant Angela Baker) Bake, they do an awesome job getting those guys prepared. And of course, we have them involved in the run game. We have them involved in the pass game. Just as the game, the flow of the game goes, it goes in a direction or not. And if we have to transition that, then we will.

Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen

Q: How do you look at a game where you don't give up a touchdown, but don't force a punt?

SHANE BOWEN: I think the first thing that comes to mind is we got to force them to punt. Really proud of the guys and the resolve, the resiliency to get stops in the red zone. To keep playing through all the adversity that showed up. To get stops after third and long completions on drives or conversions on drives… Those things are back-breaking. And (they) continued to play and find stops. Really proud of their resolve, especially after Week 1, not getting stops down there. But, we can't let them down there seven times. We can't. We got to be better out in the field. We got to make sure we're getting off the field on third down, doing our part and not fouling on third down to extend drives. So, a lot to improve upon. A lot to improve upon. We're going to keep working today, keep working tomorrow and hopefully some of these things show up that we need to improve upon happen on Sunday.

Q: What did you see needs to improve with your run defense?

SHANE BOWEN: I think tackling. Tackling showed up. Missed some tackles, even on the scramble plays. We had guys in opportunities to make plays on those to get off the field on third down. And tackling showed up. I think a couple were fit issues. One, we just get too nosy. We got him bottled up, we get nosy and he leaks out on us. The post safety gets a little nosy, as well, and it goes for 40 (yards). It's a potential third and one stop that turns into 40 yards. Just continuing our fits. Making sure we're flying around, running to the football. Making sure the missed tackles don't turn into… because they're going happen. We got to reduce them. They're going to happen from time to time. But making sure those missed tackles end up being two to five additional yards instead of 10-plus. Just continue to work. There's good in there. They ran the ball 35 times. So, there's some good snaps in there. We got to eliminate the explosive runs.

Q: When you say nosy, are you saying looking too much instead of reacting?

SHANE BOWEN: No, I think on that play, it was so bottled up that guys were starting to cram in there to push the pile or whatever it might be. We got too involved on the edge and we got too down with our post safety and it just popped on us.

Q: You've had really good run defense in the past playing light boxes. What is the challenge for that? To be a good run defense when you're going have lighter boxes?

SHANE BOWEN: I think knowing where your help is at. At some point, you're going get help. People like to say seven-man box, I like to say seven and a half. Know where your help's at. I think that's critical. I think based on some of the formations, run schemes, how we play some of that split safety coverage, we can dictate it. Who that piece is going be… I think you got to be really good up front. You do. You got to be able to hang in there. You got to be able to show up. We got to get double teams off. We got to be able to show back up. When double teams come off, the (line)backers got to have a little bit of patience, but at the same time, trigger when they need to trigger. There's some things that come into it. But, just something we got to keep working at. Post safety's easy. We can't let them run the ball in post-safety defense first. That's easy. One gap, go fit. In the quarter stuff, just continue to work at our understanding, making sure we're good there.

Q: (Inside linebacker) Bobby Okereke indicated to us earlier in the week that he was trying to do his job and other people's job. How do you interpret that? What does that mean? And my guess is it's not ideal.

SHANE BOWEN: That's across the unit. I don't think that's just Bobby (Okereke). We got to make sure all 11 guys are focused on doing their job because it turns into a chain reaction. Somebody's out of place, somebody sees somebody going somewhere that doesn't look right to them, and then all of a sudden they want to make that guy right, and right now they're (the opposing team is) finding it. We're at a point right now where they're finding it every time. A lot of times… Sometimes they don't find it and you get away with stuff. They're finding it right now. So, we got to lock in, make sure we're doing our job on every snap. I got to do a good job putting them in positions where they can execute their job. But again, worry about your one-eleventh. Trust the other guys. Keep building that confidence in the other guys that they're going to be where they're supposed to be as well.

Q: Have you conveyed that to him (Bobby Okereke), that he needs to just do his job, even if it's at the mercy of the group?

SHANE BOWEN: To the whole group. We all got to do our job. Every single play, we got to do our job. We got to focus. There'll be times where they make plays where they don't, and it's the old adage, if you make it, I'll probably say good job and I'll coach you and say, 'Next time it's probably not going to work out that way.' Let's see if we can coach the action and not necessarily the result of what happened because a lot of times there's good plays that happen and we don't necessarily do it the right way. And the next time we don't do it the right way, it isn't going to be so good for us.

Q: Your assessment so far of your two rookies, (cornerback Dru) Phillips and (safety Tyler) Nubin?

SHANE BOWEN: I've been pleased with them. Again, they're rookies. They're learning. The situational awareness is going to build over time as they play. But, really pleased with them. Really was pleased with Dru (Phillips). I think his toughness showed up. He was productive. He was involved. The more he plays, I think the better he's going to get. Same thing goes for (Tyler) Nubin. But both of those guys care. They're passionate about football. They want to learn. They want to get better. They're different in their approach and how they learn, leadership and where they're at really coming into this thing. But, both are valuable pieces to us right now and I think they're doing a good job for being young.

Q: On the third and longs, is there something that you see you might need to change to address that?

SHANE BOWEN: Absolutely. If I could have had those two back where he scrambled and spied him, I probably would have. That's one area. You can second-guess all you want. But we had (quarterback) spy in. We did it. We transitioned to doing some of that with (safety/linebacker) Zay (Isaiah Simmons), and then just not spying him on those situations when he converts and makes those (first downs), you kick yourself on that. And then, to me, it was really the two scrambles and it was the two penalties. One of the penalties negated a sack in the second half by (outside linebacker Brian) Burns where we're going to get the ball, force them to punt. Just continue to work, make sure our guys are comfortable with the plan so they can go out there and play fast. And, I'll say it again, find ways to win their one-on-ones when the opportunities present themselves, which I think we did last week rushing.

Q: Find ways to win one-on-ones without what?

SHANE BOWEN: One-on-ones when they present themselves.

Q: With your defensive line, it seemed like you went in with… I think, (defensive lineman) Dex (Dexter Lawrence II), (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) and even Brian (Burns) came out on that first drive for at least a play. How much of that was situational and how much of that is philosophical long-term and that's something you're looking to do more?

SHANE BOWEN: You get those extended drives, just trying to spell them and not gas them out the first series of the game, early in the game. Try to find your spots, I think, in the first half, maybe early in the second half because, ultimately, we're going to need them at their best at the end of the game. All these games are going to come down to a two-minute situation, four-minute situation, whatever it might be. We're going to need them at their best, especially early in the season. I think just being mindful of that, finding ways where we can spot them just to make sure they're geared up and ready to go in the fourth quarter when we need them.

Q: When you have an offense throwing passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, the layman says, 'Why are the cornerbacks giving a cushion?' I'm just curious on what the philosophy is there because, again, that just seems like a simple fix, just press up, I'm sure there's more…

SHANE BOWEN: You're talking about on the bubble type stuff?

Q: Yeah, like a third and one where they get it out there and a guy picks it up…

SHANE BOWEN: No, you want to be tight. You absolutely want to challenge. You want to be able to stay square, not back up and be aggressive. I think offenses are creative with making sure it's not spread out where it's just easy doing that. They stack guys up. They bunch guys. If you're both up there on the same level, they're allowed to pick within a yard. There's allowed to be collisions there. We've got to be mindful of that. We've got to understand that. We have different ways of playing it where we can hopefully get attached pretty quickly as it sorts out based on what we're playing. That's one thing. But going in, you get those third and one to six, you've got to be able to challenge. I think the shorter ones come into play a little bit, even just the run game piece of having to replace a crack (blocker). You're up there, a guy is going to crack a safety or a (line)backer, and all of a sudden, I'm chasing that guy in and I can't show up to be a piece. They're going to get these corners involved in the run game. So, that shows up a little bit on third and one and third and two, those situations. But, again, we want to challenge in those situations as best we can and use our tools to help us, whether they're stacked or bunched or whatever it might be.

Q: Are you considering any significant personnel changes based on that performance or try to roll with the guys you have and tighten it up?

SHANE BOWEN: Tighten it up. I think every position, every guy, including myself, we need to be better. So, continue to improve. Learn from the things that have happened to us already. They're not going anywhere. It's a copycat league. Teams see something that hurts you, they're going to come back to it. Making sure we're locking in on those things and being able to handle the stuff that show up on Sunday that maybe we weren't able to see or something new scheme-wise. For the most part, I think we're pretty status quo there as far as rotation and where we're at right now.

Q: How much more of an impact should (Brian) Burns and (Kayvon) Thibodeaux be making?

SHANE BOWEN: I think Thibs (Kayvon Thibodeaux) had a great game. I do. I think he made major strides from Week 1 to Week 2. He challenged himself to come out here and work and prepare. You felt the urgency from him after Week 1, and it shows, with a total unit. Go look at last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday's practice and watch KT (Kayvon Thibodeaux). Then turn on the tape on Sunday, and it's going to show up. Really, really pleased with him and his approach last week. Burnsy (Brian Burns), when we get the opportunities, we've got to take advantage of them. There's a lot of chipping going on. Last week, in some of those situations, we were spying, which they end up having six guys (blockers) for three (rushers), five guys (blockers) for three (rushers), whatever that might be. So, I think Thibs (Kayvon Thibodeaux) got a little bit more of those one-on-ones than possibly Burnsy (Brian Burns) did. But, again, he tried to make the most of it. He showed up there late when we got the defensive penalty, the holding call on Dru (Phillips). Had a sack there that got negated. Just continue with both those guys. Stay on the attack. Stay on the attack. You don't know when all those opportunities are going to come all the time. Make sure we're ready to capitalize on them when they come.

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: As you guys probably know, we have (kicker) Greg Joseph on our roster now. He showed up a couple days ago, and we have him and (kicker) Jude (McAtamney) competing for that kicker spot. It's going be good competition. Obviously, what Greg (Joseph) brings to the table is a veteran guy that's kicked in multiple stadiums and that has had a good percentage throughout his career. And Jude (McAtamney) has shown a very promising preseason and has obviously done a good job in the off-season and training camp and all his opportunities in practice. So, we'll have a better idea of who becomes our kicker on Sunday as we get closer to that day.

Q: Going back to last Sunday, what did you see from (kicker) Graham (Gano) in warm-ups?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: We had ultimate confidence in him to be able to kick kicks and he did a good job. He hit a 58-yarder in pregame. He looked good.

Q: So, no alarm bells were raised for you when he had to cut his workout to go back in?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: He had confidence in himself to be able to connect on kicks. We had confidence in him as well, in pregame. It was status quo.

Q: Did he tweak anything in warm-ups?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Again, he kicked everything that we needed him to do in pregame, and he did a good job in that. He had confidence to start the game. We had confidence in him and he was excited to go out there.

Q: Obviously, the worst-case scenario unfolded. But, just knowing he came in with a lower body (injury), (was there) any thought to having (punter) Jamie (Gillan) handle kickoffs so Graham (Gano) wouldn't be in that situation?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: It doesn't matter what position it is. You're always trying to create flex(ability) at all these positions. So, these are all contingency plans you have throughout the week. And it doesn't necessarily matter whether you're a kicker, a punter, the starting R5 on kickoff, the left center on KOR (kickoff return). You're always training the next man up, because obviously with a limited roster, you have to try and create some flex(ability).

Q: In those situations where you guys are not kicking extra points or not kicking a field goal at the end, are you consulted or are you giving your opinion on what you should be doing there? Or is that just (the) Head Coach's call and you deploy what he says?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: So throughout the game, throughout practice during the week, and throughout all meetings, we always have continuous discussions that are always fluid, and we're always trying to do our best job to make sure we're trying to win the game.

Q: I know we have a situation now where a kicker gets hurt on kickoff regardless of what he may or may not have had coming in. I think back in the spring, you had talked about the idea that with the dynamic kickoff it puts your kicker at a disadvantage when everybody is up front, that last line of defense. Does something like this almost magnify, you think, across the league? Maybe teams look at who is kicking off, or is it just one of those isolated incidents that you guys had?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Whenever there's an injury, it's always going to be magnified. The nature of it is there was a holding penalty on it. You still want multiple hitters on the ball carrier. At the end of the day, it's a skill set that not many people have to be able to kick off. So, again, you have contingency plans to make certain that certain guys can do it and you're working that throughout offseason and during the regular season, and everything.

Q: Before you were here, Jamie Gillan hit a 40-yard field goal last year. So he obviously can kick. Did he look that uncomfortable to you on the PAT that he missed?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: We had ultimate confidence, and I still do. We always have confidence in Jamie (Gillan). Again, the creating flex(ability) happens at every position and you're working those situations regardless of where it's at. With that being said, we've definitely put the tape to bed and we're excited to go against Cleveland. I truly believe (Cleveland Browns Special Teams Coordinator) Bubba (Ventrone) does a great job in terms of getting his units ready. He's been one of the best coordinators in terms of getting his players to play hard. He has good scheme. He has really good players. You have a guy like (Cleveland Browns defensive end) Myles Garrett on field goal block that is certainly featured. He has ability to jump inside, to rush edges, to hit different creases, and you can see how they're utilizing him. (Linebacker) JOK (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah) is another guy that they feature and he does a really good job. So, we're really excited for the challenge this week.

Q: A little bit of a minutiae question. Why is (tackle) Evan Neal isn't on your place-kicking team. It seems like (offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu is, but Evan Neal is not. I would think any snap he gets blocking would be helpful for him developmentally.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: We train multiple players at different positions. Evan (Neal) is certainly a guy that can play all those positions, but certainly so is (Joshua) Ezeudu. We're going to put out what we feel is going to give us the best chance to be able to connect on these kicks with our best 11 (men).

Q: On the opening kickoff, what do you think broke down on the coverage?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I know I've answered a bunch of questions with that. I know (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) has hit it. So, the biggest thing to me is we're on to Cleveland. We obviously want to correct it on tape and we've corrected everything we need to. So, we're going to move forward and obviously focus on being able to stop Cleveland.

Q: Just getting back to where you started, Greg (Joseph) is not guaranteed he'll be kicking on Sunday?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: It's going to be good competition between him and Jude (McAtamney).

Q: What does Jude (McAtamney) need to show you that he didn't show you maybe last week to elevate and bring up?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think at the end of the day, you always want to have multiple specialists on your roster. For the reason of having good competition throughout camp, I think it doesn't matter. It's no different than a practice squad player at a DB (defensive back) position or a practice squad player at a linebacker position. You always want those guys to have the ability to compete to raise that level. Jude (McAtamney), again, (we) have ultimate confidence in him and his ability to go out there and have success. And then the same thing with Greg (Joseph). The thing that Greg (Joseph) has is obviously the experience of kicking in games and obviously the good production with that. And then Jude (McAtamney), like I said, had a very promising preseason. So, it's not necessarily a lack of what he still needs to prove or still needs to show. We're going take it down the wire and figure out who gives us the best chance to win in Cleveland.

Q: You didn't get to see (wide receiver) Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) in the game, obviously. But last week, what did he show you getting here? And then the idea of, how confident are you still in him as a punt returner?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Honestly, him being here for a little bit over a week now, you're excited for him to get those opportunities. The thing I love about him is he's not going necessarily… He's a great teammate and you could feel that already. When he gets his opportunities, he's going to be excited to take advantage of that. So, the person has definitely checked all the boxes. The player has checked all the boxes. He approaches the game the right way. In practice, he's always asking questions on exactly where we want things to unfold. Obviously, we're excited for him when he gets his opportunity to go out there and have success.

Q: Was (linebacker) Patrick Johnson signed to help fill the gap or the void left by (inside linebacker) Carter Coughlin not being there on a kick return? And what do you need from that spot?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I don't necessarily get into the roster acquisitions on why they happen. I could say this about Pat(rick Johnson), though. He has played a lot of football in this league and primarily on special teams. When you watch his tape in Philadelphia, you see a guy that plays the game the right way. He plays with his hair on fire. That's pretty cool to see when you get a guy on your roster, obviously, during the season. Then you see a guy that has physical traits, that isn't afraid to put hands on people when they're disengaging off blocks. The experience of having over 350 plus snaps last year on (special) teams. He's been in those situations that make it a little bit easier for him to acquire the knowledge it takes to have success in a quicker manner.

Q: What went into the decision to have (outside linebacker) Tomon Fox in that spot last week?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Tomon (Fox) is a guy that… He's a chess piece. He has shown with limited reps to be able to go into multiple different spots on our special teams units and be able to have success. His intelligence, his physical traits that he has as an outside (line)backer, those things… Whenever there's an opportunity to get a guy up to help us, Tomon (Fox) certainly is a guy that comes to mind just because of his ability to play in multiple different roles without many reps.

Q: Obviously, Jamie (Gillan) is like the emergency place kicker, kickoff guy. Does he practice that during the week? Or is that just on game day if you need him, he's got to go switch over to that?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Again, with any position, you're always practicing it. And that's a weekly thing to me. You're practicing the flex(ability) of your starting gunner. You're practicing the flex(ability) of your snapper, your punter, your kicker, your holder. Those things always have to be a constant, obviously, with situations that arose. The biggest thing, we'll continue to hammer down on making sure that our guys are ready and if their opportunity comes about, we have to have the ultimate success in them to have success.

Q: Is Greg Joseph's experience kicking for a season in Cleveland important to you? Is that stadium different for a kicker?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah. Obviously with it being a weathered stadium, I think the experience is always very helpful. His knowledge of different stadiums and how the wind plays in each of them is really, really cool. I started talking to him a little bit more about it and you understand kind of the way his mind works, depending on which way we're kicking and what are the tendencies of that. So that experience certainly helps.

Q: Is (wide receiver Ihmir) Smith-Marsette not an option as a kick returner?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Certainly, he has a skill set to do both. Ultimately, I think (running back) Eric Gray has done a great job back there and so has (running back Tyrone) Tracy. So not to say that Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) doesn't have a skill set to do it. He potentially could get an opportunity. I think we have at least three really good ones that have the ability to take it all the way.

Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas

Q: On where (Cleveland Browns defensive end) Myles Garrett lines up…

ANDREW THOMAS: Both sides. They'll mix him up. They'll move inside the rush over the center or the guard. They do a good job trying to find the best matchup for him.

Q: How do you stop him?

ANDREW THOMAS: It's just all about the technique. Obviously, he's a very talented player. It starts with the simple keys – your stance, getting off the ball, getting to your spot square, and then just fighting through the whistle. He's a great player, but we have great players too. So it's just about (inaudible).

Q: Did you feel like you had a really good game last week? Because you got the run going, you had the pass going, you scored touchdowns.

ANDREW THOMAS: There were positive things, but still things that we can clean up, especially in pass pro(tection) and in the run game, especially when there's movement. Just doing a better job of getting to our alignments and our aiming points to get to the (line)backers.

Q: If somebody said to a Giants fan now, 'What reason do you have to be optimistic about this team coming out of 0-2?' One of the things they would say, is the play of the offensive line. That's been a long time since the offensive line has been something people are getting optimistic about. Do you feel optimistic about the offensive line right now? Can you relate to the idea that there's a lot on you guys now and you guys can finally be the ones to turn it around.

ANDREW THOMAS: I feel good about the progress that we've made over the first two games, but to be named a great offensive line or a good offensive line, you have to do it consistently. We're just approaching this week as another opportunity to get better, protect (quarterback) DJ (Daniel Jones), and open up run lanes.

Q: You guys have taken, it feels like, a lot of ownership of, 'We need to get better after last season.' Do you feel like that's paying off? The ownership part, is it translating to the field?

ANDREW THOMAS: I think it's a little bit of that and also we brought in some new guys. Guys that have a lot experience playing in this league, and I think as an offensive lineman, experience is everything. It's a tough position to play. When you have guys that have done it for a long time, it makes it easier.

Q: Have you seen growth in (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.)?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I have, definitely. You can tell he's more confident this year. Starting with just the MIKE points and understanding the calls. Last year he was also dealing with injuries too, so just seeing him, knock on wood, healthy this year, I think that's something as well.

Q: I know it goes without saying, but when you talk about a center, he's got to be the guy putting it all together, so for him to take those leaps was very important, correct?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, definitely. It was his rookie last year, obviously. Me being a veteran left tackle, just helping him out sometimes with MIKE points and stuff like that. Like I said, we have veteran guys around him as well. He's done a great job of taking ownership of that role, and he's growing every day.

Q: Another obvious question. It's only two games, but you guys have – I'll knock on wood for you – the same five guys have played all 85 snaps. When I think about this line last year, I don't think the same guys played one game to the next. How big has that continuity been?

ANDREW THOMAS: It's huge. As offensive lineman you want to be comfortable playing with the guy next to you and having those consistent snaps, it's a great thing.

Q: I feel like (Offensive Line) Coach (Carmen) Bricillo, too, has kind of earned a lot of praise, whether that's online or wherever else. How much of a difference maker has he been for this unit?

ANDREW THOMAS: Carm has done a great job for us, getting us on the same page. We made a few changes in our aiming points and our MIKE points, depending on the protection or whatever the run call is. Then we also have James (Ferentz), assistant offensive line coach, he played in the league for a long time. They're doing a great job for us. Like I said, we have veterans that have played a long time, so that helps as well, too.

Q: One of the things you guys did in training camp a lot was go deep. That seems to have been missing the first two weeks. Is that something people are trying to take away or what?

ANDREW THOMAS: Honestly, I'm not sure, but I think week to week the game plan changes just depending on what the defense allows us to do. As the offensive line, selfishly, if we can run the ball, we want to run it. Control the clock, it wears down the d-line, so when it's time to pass rush, they are tired. You can throw the ball down the field. That's our mentality.

Outside Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux

Q: With this week, what do you look at as far as the chance for the pass rush to get home this week with the Browns? I think both their tackles are banged up.

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I mean still really never look too deep into kind of midweek stuff because you never know who will play, who won't play. So, just consistently getting better at our craft, focusing on us, and still breaking down each tackle and kind of preparing for the game.

Q: How difficult is it to play when you can't get off the field?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: It's difficult. Very.

Q: Because you guys were out there for about 38 minutes, I think the last game?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Yes, it's definitely tough when you can't get off the field.

Q: What happened in particular? Why?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I think third downs, they converted. Anytime a team converts on fourth down, third down, it extends the drive.

Q: When you look at pass rush opportunities, how important is playing this game similar to the way you guys played last game? Like holding them to field goals, getting off the shorter drives, like just keeping the score at a spot where you guys can have the opportunity to wreck the game.

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: We just want to play complimentary football. I think when you look at the defense, we got to get stops and the offense is going to continue to do their best to score points. And that's how we're going to come out with one in the end.

Q: There was a point probably when you were in college where (Browns quarterback) Deshaun Watson was like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Do you still have to look at him like that? Like he's who he was?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Definitely. You never cannot kind of look past anybody in this league. He's here for a reason. He's one of the highest paid quarterbacks for a reason. So definitely not taking anything lightly on him.

Q: How about in terms of stopping the run? Obviously, that's what (Defensive Coordinator Shane) Bowen's defense is built on. That's what (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke) talks about all the time. (defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II) Dex talks about all that. And they ran the ball pretty well.

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Yeah, I think that's what football is built on. You can't rush the passer. There's no talk about a pass rush plan until you stop the run. So that's definitely a key.

Q: What have you seen from the Browns this week?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Great team. The quarterback is a magician. Up front, they're very solid. One of the bigger teams up front. They like to move people. They like to run the ball. So, you're definitely going to have to stop the run and be ready to set edges and get after the quarterback.

Q: Have they been chipping you a lot? Like I know they've chipped (outside linebacker Brian) Burns a lot. Have you felt teams chipping you a lot?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Yeah, they've been chipping both of us. And I think that's what's going to continue to happen. Double-team Dex. And it's been a lot of like two-man routes. Even looking back at the first game we played, there was a lot of chips, and they were sending two-man routes. Second game, a little less than the first, but they still had some, too. So, I don't expect it to go away. I think with our D-line and the people we have teams are going to continue to scheme around it. So, yeah, we got to be prepared for that.

Q: Were you more of a marked man this year coming off last year when you had 11.5 stacks?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I don't really know, to be honest. You got to ask them. I'm just trying to keep getting better. I mean, obviously we got Dex, we got Brian Burns. So, I can't really tell you if teams are looking at them or what their game plan is for them. But if I was an offensive coordinator, I'd be game planning for those guys as well. So, I'm just continuously trying to find my matchups and win them.

Q: I know you don't go up against him, per se, but what makes (Browns defensive end) Myles Garrett such a good player in his position?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: You either have a lot of talent, or you have a lot of skill, or you're Myles Garrett. And he's a guy who is a hall of famer. He's a guy I looked up to coming out of high school. And he's going to continue to dominate the league for a long time. And definitely look at his game and try to model mine after him.

Q: What did you look up to him specifically about his game?

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: He's relentless, whether it's run, whether it's pass, the moves he uses. He's a lot bigger than me, but when you still just talk about the mindset that he gives to the game, with his preparation, his body, film and everything else, he's really a pro.

Guard Jon Runyan Jr.

Q: Do you attribute you guys' ability to pull off double teams, the way you did last game especially, to the continuity and the communication and also just the experience they way you guys have been in this league and know what to expect? Because it didn't seem like there were many mental errors or anything else when it comes to that.

JON RUNYAN JR.: It was a really simple game plan from the offense's perspective. We just used that to our advantage. This whole offensive line, there's been a lot of guys played a lot of years, a lot of games on this offensive line. (Center) JMS (John Michael Schmitz Jr.) is the young pup out there and he's out there directing traffic. We knew what we had to do, and it was going to come down to our double teams on two really good defensive tackles and (Washington Commanders defensive tackle) Jonathan Allen and (Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron) Payne. We had to take care of them on the inside and that's what we were looking for the direct runs and felt like we're kind of getting like five, six, seven yards a pop. Got to keep doing that and carry that into the rest of the season.

Q: When you look at this opponent, it's two really good, and this is no disrespect to their defensive tackles, but two really good EDGE rushers. What kind of challenges does that pose for the (offensive) line?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Every game in the NFL, they're going have a premier defensive lineman at one of the positions. This week they got two really good EDGE rushers, and they just have a great defense overall, honestly. They got really good linebackers that can play downhill and side to side. Their interiors really big and stout and they still get off the ball really fast and strong and athletic. So, we got our work cut out, but I like how we're kind of building off the performance we put out there last week and it's going to take that same kind of gritty game that we played. I'm sure a lot of people watching our game last week were pretty bored to with it. With no real big plays other than the crossing routes to (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers). I like those getting about 30 yards on third down. But that's what it's going to take. Just keep running the ball and try to wear defenses out all the time.

Q: You were on a team last year that first month and a half of the season there were a lot of questions, 'Is there any direction?' I know it's a different year, different team, different locker room, but do you take any of that experience from last year and what you guys were able to become later in the year and apply it here?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Yeah, I do. I can kind of see some resemblance being over there on that side. I think last year we had the youngest team in the NFL and going into the season, we felt like we had all the right pieces, but there's just that missing. I think it was just confidence in being out there and having the young guys see that they're able to do this at a high level and giving them that confidence and going out there and not worrying about making a mistake and just trying to make plays. We have a really young team here as well. I think that's just what it's going to take. It's going to take time going out there, building that confidence and then you never know when it is. It could be this next game or it could be midway through October, and something clicks and these young guys really start coming into their own and playing with a lot more confidence. We're doing as best we can as offensive line to give the playmakers on the outside, running back, quarterback, tight ends time to build that confidence and trust every time and help them play free and relaxed.

Q: What has (Offensive Line) Coach (Carmen) Bricillo meant to this unit?

JON RUNYAN JR.: (He) Comes in. He makes sure that he covers everything he needs to cover. He leaves no stone unturned. Makes sure his guys are prepared. If there is a mistake or miscommunication somewhere, he takes ownership for it, and I think guys really respect that and he always does his best to prepare us and even over prepare us sometimes. He takes it really serious, and guys really like it a lot. Works us hard individually but takes care of us. All coaches have different techniques but you can really see his techniques come to life for us and the offensive line play, so it's been really good so far.

Q: The tight ends haven't put up a lot of numbers this year but how much have they helped you guys on the line?

JON RUNYAN JR.: I think we have some of the best run blocking tight ends in the NFL. (Tight end Chris) Manhertz, (tight end Daniel) Bellinger and even (tight end) Theo (Johnson). Theo (Johnson) is finishing downfield, working his butt off, getting everybody blocked. That's what it takes to have a really good – The run game isn't just the offensive line. It's the tight ends, it's the receivers, it's the running backs being able to read and find the holes and put the foot in the ground and get vertical. The tight ends have done a really good job, and they take that really serious. I know their coached well, they play hard and actually that's half of it right there and we're lucky to have tight ends that can block like that.

Q: You called him a young pup. I guess, what have you seen from (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.) over the last two games and how he's adjusting to that spot?

JON RUNYAN JR.: He's the one that's in charge of pretty much directing this whole offense, him and Daniel (Jones). We go up there to the line and everybody's got their eyes on him. Everybody's listening to what he's got to say and helping us out and getting us going in the right direction and he's always on top of his stuff. Nothing really fazes him and doing a good job in the run and pass game. It starts with him and getting everybody going to the right people. He's been doing a good job and he's been on top of everything.