Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka
Q: What do you attribute to the offensive struggles of the past few weeks?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I think it's a combination of fundamentals, techniques, losing some things at the point of attack, some one-on-one matchups and then we just got to keep on working all our guys. There's guys that are stepping into different roles and making sure they're in the right spots.
Q: Did you spend some of time with (Steelers quarterback) Russell Willson when he came through the building this offseason?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I did spend a little bit of time with him during that process.
Q: How was that?
MIKE KAFKA: I mean I've known him for a while now. A former Big Ten guy. And obviously following his career in Seattle, he was very productive and a Super Bowl winning quarterback. So again, I've known him for a while.
Q: How do you block (Steelers linebacker) T.J. Watt?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, that's a good question. I think that's a challenge that everyone's had. It's a challenge that we've certainly talked about as a staff and our guys are fully aware of where he's going to be on every play and you've just got to have a plan, build that into your plan, build that into the schemes that you want to present in both the run game and the pass game. T.J. is one, they got (Steelers defensive tackle Cameron) Heyward on the other side, (Steelers linebacker Alex) Highsmith, they got a bunch of guys on the front and really at every level they have a playmaker. So, we got to make sure we we're very convicted in what we want to do schematically and then go out there and execute.
Q: When you played quarterback and you get taken out of the game, when you go back in the next time, is that a challenge? Is there a different mental process you go through as a QB to prepare yourself after that disappointment?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I've certainly had that experience as a young quarterback in college. I think for me personally, it motivated me to be better. Motivated me to do whatever I can to help the team and whenever I got my chance back, to take advantage of those opportunities.
Q: How do you move forward without thinking in the back of your head, 'hey, I'm on a short leash now, I have to make sure I don't make a mistake, otherwise I'll be on the bench again'?
MIKE KAFKA: I'd say that every person handles those things differently. I know when I was in that situation as a player, I just went right back to work. Went back to my principles and how I attack it, studying, prepping, trying to find things that I can improve on and then trying to find a way to help the team, whether it's as a starter or a backup. That's how I handle it.
Q: What did you say to (quarterback) Daniel (Jones)?
MIKE KAFKA: Well, we had talks obviously after the game. We talk about it with all our players and what we can do better and any of those meetings are just going to be private between us and how we handle it.
Q: I was just wondering did you give him similar advice to say, ''hey, this is how I handle it'?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I mean all those discussions on how we handle things are all kind of kept in house and like I said, everybody handles them differently and so however Daniel handled that, I'm sure he's going to handle it like a pro like he always does.
Q: What do you think makes (quarterback) Drew (Lock) a good backup?
MIKE KAFKA: Drew obviously, he's done it. He's played quarterback in this league. Drew's had a bunch of starts and he started as a young player, was able to come in and be productive. We see it on tape and then we see it in practice, how he performs in practice. So, he's done a nice job.
Q: From an outside perspective, it'd be hard for anybody to look at what you guys are doing and say that you have confidence in (tackle) Evan Neal because it seems like anything could not put Evan Neal on the field. So, you've seen him and (Offensive Line Coach Carmen) Bricillo, obviously he's working with him, you've seen him in the past two years. Do you see a guy who's getting better?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, we do because we see it in practice, and he got back coming off the injury and all that and kind of get back into the flow of things. We see it in practice; we see it in individuals and we watch those things and try to detail up whatever we can to help him improve.
Q: How confident are you if he has to get on the field?
MIKE KAFKA: I'm confident. I'm confident in Evan. Yeah, absolutely.
Q: There is seemingly an opportunity here with the injuries that have happened. Is it one of those things where like you said, I guess you're confident in him, but how much has he kind of progressed since the injury, since he's been back in practice?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, each day he's continued to get a little bit better each day. I think that's what we're looking for, just consistent improvement, whether it's his feet, his set, staying square, the punch, the finish, downfield with the run block and stuff. All of it, just like core fundamentals that we talk about.
Q: (Wide receiver Malik) Nabers said after the game that he was open quite a bit during the game. I think Dabs even agreed with him that he was open quite a bit. When you're Daniel and you're feeling as much pressure as he was feeling in that game, how have you married those two things together? If he's open, can you just get in the ball real quick or because the pressure is coming, it's hard even if a guy is open?
MIKE KAFKA: I don't want to speak for Daniel on this, but I think…
Q: I'm just saying from your experience, quarterbacking and calling plays.
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah. I think everyone when you look at the offense, it's not just one person, it's an 11-man operation. I can't stress that enough. And so, everyone's got to be on the same page, downfield, each position group, the O-line, the protection, the routes, the depth of the routes, all those types of things. And so, it's got to be so precise for things to happen and work out. And so, we just got to continue to improve those things.
Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen
Q: When you see a play like (cornerback) Deonte Banks made the other day, what's your reaction and how do you handle that?
SHANE BOWEN: We expect these guys every snap to play full speed to the tackle. Making sure they're running the ball and doing all those things. That's the expectation. That's the standard we want to have here across the board. Something we got to continue to coach. We've addressed it as a coaching staff and with the unit and everybody else. Hopefully, moving forward, we can continue to see some progress and some growth in that regard from all our guys, too.
Q: When somebody's a repeat offender of that, I don't think that's out of line, (Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach) Jerome (Henderson) had questioned it after the (Dallas Cowboys wide receiver) CeeDee Lamb play. At some point, besides addressing it, do you have to take playing snaps away from them to get the message across?
SHANE BOWEN: I think that's all things that we discuss as a coaching staff. Where we're at and where we're at in that game comes into play. All those things are on the table. That's the job of a coach, is to make sure you find the right buttons to press. You continue to coach. We got to coach everything. Every single snap, we got to coach everything and making sure we're not making the same mistakes and learning from those mistakes when they do happen.
Q: Will he (Deonte Banks) start Monday?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, he'll be playing.
Q: Is it disappointing that this is a repeat offense for Deonte (Banks)?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, it's disappointing anytime, with these guys, there's a lack of effort that shows up across the board. You see it with other guys from time to time. Again, it's just something we got to continue to harp on and make sure we're playing to our maximum ability and full tilt to the tackle every opportunity that we have.
Q: How has he handled it this week, in your eyes?
SHANE BOWEN: I think he's responded. We'll see. We'll see come Sunday. That's Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, practice everybody. He's out here. Effort, technique, fundamentals, execution, all those things. The ultimate test is come Sunday, so hopefully we can do things throughout the week to keep growing, to keep improving in all those areas, not just effort-related, and it shows up on Monday night in this case.
Q: Just to clarify, you said he's going to play. Is he (Deonte Banks) going to start?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, he'll be playing.
Q: The Eagles sent out a mic'd up where (Philadelphia Eagles running back) Saquon (Barkley) on his mic'd up said, 'I'm really impressed with #31 (safety Tyler Nubin) and #22 (cornerback Dru Phillips). They're going to be good players.' Were you impressed to see those guys jawing with Saquon (Barkley) and earning a good player's respect like that?
SHANE BOWEN: I think it's a combination of we got to go out there and do it. They got to go out there and do it, no matter who it is, the young guys or the veteran guys. We got to go out there and perform on Sundays or Monday night, whenever it is. That's how you gain respect, is by what you do and what you put on tape. You are what you put on tape, good, bad, indifferent. Everybody's watching every single play. I think as you are able to go out there and do good things on game day, hopefully that respect comes. The consistency is a big part of that as well.
Q: Just to follow up on something, you said Deonte (Banks) is playing on Monday night. Have you guys made a decision whether or not he's going to start?
SHANE BOWEN: We'll see where we're at here later in the week as we get closer to it.
Q: (Head Coach) Brian (Daboll) said yesterday, basically, that (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott is leaning toward probably not playing. How does losing him, likely, affect you guys? Overall, how has he been playing and all that?
SHANE BOWEN: He's been good. I think he's been improving. It was tough to see him go down in that game the other day. Tough situation. (Cornerback) Nick (McCloud) got thrown in there. Tough situation for us. But he's been improving. We'll see. He was out here yesterday doing a little bit. He'll be out here today doing a little bit. We'll see as this week progresses. It probably helps having an extra day just for us to gauge where he's at and determine if he's going to be able to go or not.
Q: Can Dru Phillips play outside corner?
SHANE BOWEN: I think so. I do. He's got the ability to do all that. Again, just being a young guy, what you ask of him within the scheme and what he can handle and make sure that we're not throwing too much on his plate. But absolutely. I think he's got the ability to do all that.
Q: How can you fix your run defense?
SHANE BOWEN: It starts with mentality. We've got to have a more attacking mentality. Playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage, finding ways to eliminate some space, making sure we're playing with techniques and fundamentals and using our hands, striking, getting extension so we can get off blocks, so we can shed, so we can show back up. It's tough. If you've got to be perfect, it's hard. You're going to have to be able to change the math at times and guys take on two blockers and steal some bodies that way to be able to make things right. Or else you're counting on having to fit everything up perfectly every single time. As you guys saw on Sunday, the good (running) backs find it. They find it and they exploit you if it's not perfect. I think it starts with mentality. We are continuing to stress our technique and fundamentals, making sure we're getting downhill and doing the things we've got to do. Ultimately it takes all 11 (players) doing their job, showing up when they need to show up and then being able to get guys on the ground.
Q: If you've got to be perfect, do you mean like the certain schemes they're throwing at you where one mistake means a big play?
SHANE BOWEN: No doubt. Trying to mess with your eyes where you've got to see things, whether there's motion, whether it's flashing on the snap, whether a fullback inserting in a different spot. You've got to be able to fit those things up and know where your help is, know where you've got to get the ball back to. Whether I'm taking it on inside, whether I'm taking it on outside and how all that correlates together. You don't want to have to play in a perfect world. You don't want to have to play perfect and rely on being perfect all the time. At some point, like I told the guys on Monday, it comes down to being able to whoop the guy across from you and show up and make a play. That's part of it. We've got to continue to work that and just make sure we're good fundamentally with our eyes in the run game, playing blockers across from me, making sure we are utilizing our hands and striking and not catching and bench pressing. All those are critical half a seconds that is delaying you being able to get off the block and make a play. So, the sooner we can control blockers in the run game, the better off we're going to be and the clearer the picture is going to be on that second level, third level, whatever it might be.
Q: So on these big plays, enough guys aren't winning one-on-ones, essentially?
SHANE BOWEN: I think it's a combination of a lot of things. I do. I think to my point is more so let's make sure that we can show up and get guys to show back up. They've got to do their job. They've got to be where they're supposed to be to start. Then as the play develops… Some of these we're able to get four hands off of guys, we've got to be able to show back up and be where we're supposed to be. So, I wouldn't say that. I think it's a combination of a lot of things that has really caught up with us at different times.
Q: Is that something you take personally? Because I think your defense has always been a good rushing defense. I think, if memory serves me correctly, we all saw the Hard Knocks scene where (Brian) Daboll called you and basically said, 'Can you fix our run defense? Okay, you got the job.' So, is that something you take particularly seriously?
SHANE BOWEN: Absolutely. I think your toughness is defined by how you run the ball and how you stop the run. So, we've got to do a better job stopping the run. Again, there's a lot of good clips in there. But, you give up six X play runs, three for 133 yards, it gets skewed dramatically. So, we've got to find ways to, more consistently, stay on the positive side of some of those runs and not let them get the big chunk runs on us.
Q: Why do you think the mentality is not there? You're basically halfway through the season. Is that just younger guys reacting instead of being aggressive?
SHANE BOWEN: I wouldn't say it's all not there. I think it needs to improve throughout. Improve throughout. So, don't misquote me on that. I'm not saying it's all not there. Just as it shows up throughout, I think it's got to be more consistent. The identity of stopping the run, what is it and what does it have to be from all 11 guys on every play. It's just something to continue to build on. The understanding of the run game and how they're attacking you. It's going to be no different Monday night. I've been with (Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator) Arthur (Smith). They're going to have a lot of really good run schemes, different things we haven't seen from a lot of different looks, moving pieces around and we're going to have to do a good job recognizing things and being able to react and get downhill and do all those aspects of it. But, initially, doing our best to eliminate space. I think by attacking and the mentality that goes with being attacking and the physicality of it, that's how you initially, first and foremost, are going to be able to eliminate the space that shows up in the run game.
Q: Do you prepare for (Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin) Fields as a runner even though he's the backup quarterback?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I think you have to. Obviously, my experience with Arthur (Smith) and what he's done, I think you always got to be ready for that. He's played a lot of snaps for them. He has. So, it's not like it's going to be anything new. It's an easy, 'Hey, let's go in and do these few things that you've been doing for five, six weeks already.'
Q: What's the coaching point when you're going against a receiver like (Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George) Pickens, who 50-50 balls seem like it's not 50-50 with him…
SHANE BOWEN: He's got incredible body control, incredible hands and incredible ball skills. We're going to have to be on-body. We're going to have to be on-body. If we're not on-body, we're not able to adjust and play the ball, able to feel the tempo… His tempo changed throughout based on where the ball is thrown. But, do our best to stay on-body. Do our best to hopefully stay in between him and the ball, wherever it ends up. (Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback) Russ (Russell Wilson) has got good touch. He's had a really good career being able to throw the ball down the field and he's got a really good player that can go up and get it right now. So, it's going to be a big challenge for us and our guys just got to understand it's live every play.
Q: How much time did you and Arthur (Smith) spend just talking ball over the years? I know you weren't coordinators at the same time, but I imagine you can see into each other's heads a little bit.
SHANE BOWEN: I spent a lot of time with him. Really, really good football coach. Really smart. I got a lot of respect for him and what he's been able to do in this league. Our time in Tennessee was very successful there. But, not to hone in on this word, the mentality that he brings to the offense. They're going to run the ball. We know that. They're going to have their (play) action passes off of it. They're going to be able to do their best to take their shots on us, off of some of those (play) action passes. I think how everything kind of marries up within his scheme, he does a really good job of marrying the run and marrying the pass. He's committed to building that identity. To be able to run the ball and have his counter punches off of it.
Q: That was Russell Wilson's first start. With them, is this a different version of Russell Wilson? Or how do you view that?
SHANE BOWEN: It's one game. I think you see some of the same stuff. I think he's still going to try to extend some plays and make some plays down the field. Throwing the football is what he's done at a high level throughout his career. Again, I think the ability to run the football set up a lot of those (play) action passes, those boots and some of those other things that showed up with him last week as well. He's been a really, really good player in this league for a really long time. You go back, and even in 2023 in Denver, he's top ten in just about every category for whatever that season was. He's done it a long time. He's seen everything. It's going to be a big challenge for us having him back in the lineup for them. We got to be ready to go because he adds that element for sure.
Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial
Q: What makes the Steelers so good at blocking kicks?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Number one, they're coached up really well. (Steelers Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Smith has been doing a hell of a job in this league for a long time, so I got tremendous respect for him. And their players play the game the right way. They're very fundamentally sound. They play together. They play with purpose. And obviously, like you guys know, they've been able to pressure and block kicks very well. So again, tremendous respect for them. Tremendous challenge for us this week.
Q: What is it about your return game that you look at and say, 'why haven't we been able to break anything or get anything really out of that'?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think it starts when you want to get your return game going, you've got to hold up on the perimeter, number one, to knock a hole in it. And when I say knock a hole in it, you've got to get your return game started. So, when you're talking about punt return, that's the first priority is we've got to improve on the perimeter. The second thing, based off of a certain situation in the game, down and distances, there are certain things that we may feel more inclined to do based off of pressuring or return. In some cases, you may get a return out of a pressure. You may get no return out of a pressure. But the number one thing is we've got to improve in terms of our perimeter play, and then our guys have to do a better job of sticking and staying on their blocks for a longer period of time. The nature of any punt play, it's really the toughest 7 to 10 seconds of any football play. I mean it's so long when you think about what you're asking your return team to do and what you're asking your punt team to do. At one point, you don't have the ball, so you've got to make sure you're playing defense first, because you don't want to give up a fake. And at another point, you're getting the ball, so it's that transitional period where it is a long time to do right. So, we've got to put our guys in a better position. That starts with me in practice in terms of feeling what that length of a play feels like to be able to execute the early down part of it and the later down part of it.
Q: How do you get better at that perimeter? Is it personnel, scheme? What's the change that would make that be better?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think the personnel, that's what we have. My job is to get those guys better, so when we're on the field, it is legitimately practicing that play for that entirety, whether it's a full cover, understanding that you still are trying to get your guys ready to play a game, so not necessarily burning them out as well. There's balance to that, and I think that's what coaching is. At what point are you pressing these guys to make sure that they're ready to play physically to where you might have to take off a little bit of that physical element, but also understand there is a mental clock in this game. They understand the length of that play as well, but they also have to feel what that feels like, so you could do it at a tempo pace, but just making certain they understand these are your block mechanics as we get closer and closer to the return.
Q: How's (kicker) Graham (Gano) doing?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: All injury questions are going to go to (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs.
Q: I know he's been out here. I was just wondering if he got to the point where you were able to at least see him kick at any point yet. Or is he still like ramping up physically?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I haven't had the opportunity to see him do the physical stuff. My focus has been on our guys. I see Graham around. He's got a smile on his face, and I know he's chomping at the bit to get ready to get going again.
Wide Receiver Malik Nabers
Q: How was it to get back out there on Sunday?
MALIK NABERS: It was good. It was good to get running around again and catch some passes.
Q: What did you see from the film and from your game?
MALIK NABERS: A lot of miscues. A lot of things that we cleaned up and practiced over the week. We feel better about that. We've just got to communicate more and stay on task. Third down, making explosive plays, when the ball is handed to you make some plays with it. That's really it.
Q: What's that like for you when there's a quarterback change mid-game? What happens for you, as a receiver, taken all these snaps with (quarterback) DJ (Daniel Jones)?
MALIK NABERS: We still know all our QBs. We all know how they throw the ball. But the main objective, even if a new QB comes in, whether we like it or not, whether DJ gets hurt, whether there's a change in events, you've still got to go out there and catch the ball.
Q: When you were saying repeatedly after the game, 'I was open,' what did you mean by that?
MALIK NABERS: That's something I said last week, last game. This is a new week. I don't want to talk about it.
Q: What do you make of the Pittsburgh defense?
MALIK NABERS: They've got a pretty good defense. They have (Steelers outside linebacker) T.J. Watt on the outside, he's going to wreak havoc. They've got some good corners, long corners. They have a good guy in the secondary at the top, safety. They've got a lot of guys on their defense.
Q: Have you watched the film of your offense? Do you see opportunities to change the course of how it's gone in the last couple of weeks?
MALIK NABERS: Yeah, we've just got to stay on track and communicate. Like I said, stay off of third downs, create some explosives and help our defense hold them down. Our defense has been doing a great job. So, when we get back out on the field, we've got to give our defense a break. We've got to stay on the field a little bit longer instead of going three and out.
Q: Do you think not getting on the scoreboard early affects the game significantly for an offense?
MALIK NABERS: No. You can start off slow in the game, then in the fourth quarter, have three touchdowns and still win the game. You don't really have to put points up early. Every offense would like to put points up early, but that's not always the job of the game.
Q: Before your injury, we saw you getting like 12 to 15, an unsustainable pace, of targets. Did the Eagles do anything differently against you to take it away? Did they do something you expect to see a lot more of now that there's more film of you or to take you away so you can't get 15 targets again?
MALIK NABERS: That was the same question I got asked before the game, and I said what I said about it.
Q: I'm sorry. I wasn't…
MALIK NABERS: If you don't know about it, you've got to go look it up. I said what I said about it. That was last week's game. We're working on a new week.
Q: What have you seen from Daniel this week?
MALIK NABERS: Same leader, same energetic guy. He continues to try to get us better and try to get himself better. Being that leader that he is. The same leader, same captain.
Q: What do you see from the Steelers' defense overall? Historically one of the best defenses in the NFL.
MALIK NABERS: They create turnovers well. They punch the ball out well. They're very energetic. They fly around.
