Opening statement:
"Day 2! A lot of fun. Fun to be on the grass. Look at all of these fans out here. I probably made a bad decision by just having I tried to let them rotate, offense and defense, and had everybody sign [autographs] yesterday, I think I have to keep all of the players out because our fans are supporting us like they are. I am grateful for that. Our players are, too. I just want to continue to thank our fans for coming out and being a part of this.
"Day two on our plan, and guys are working hard. We put in a lot more installation. Maybe you guys could tell that. Putting the players under a lot of pressure. Love to see guys compete under duress. Offense to defense, defense to offense to defense, and then special teams knowing what they are doing. It has been good. Good two days and then tomorrow, like I told the team afterward, we get to put on the pads so then we really get to knock each other around a little bit. It will be fun."
On special plans for the full-pads practice tomorrow:
"Oh boy, wouldn't you like to know (laughter). It is going to be fun. It is going to be a good day tomorrow. I truly believe that to get your team ready you have to play football. When you put on pads, it is blocking and tackling and doing those things, but it is also being smart and doing it in a controlled situation so that we take care of our team and we keep them as healthy as we can."
On if the next three practices will include full pads:
"We have pads… I don't want you to write something crazy on me if I don't know for sure, but I know we do for two in a row. I am going to monitor our players, though. Let's see how we practice, but we have been practicing good, practicing fast and getting a lot of things done, but tomorrow we will definitely be in pads, and hopefully, the next day we will be in pads, too, but I will continue to look at our schedule."
On if today's practice was shorter due tomorrow's practice including full pads:
"The practice was shorter? No, it wasn't shorter. We got through all the script. It is planned this way. Our guys are taking the challenge that I have laid before them – our staff has, too – and guys are getting better."
On what fans can expect tomorrow during the team's first full-pads practice, and if that includes the siren:
"Oh, wow. Mary Kay (Cabot) knows! Anything can happen tomorrow that way at any time. I truly believe in that. I like to kind of change it up a little bit. We will tackle. We will get after each other a little bit. I think you have to. We are trying to build a physically-tough, mentally-tough football team."
On if the team will do live tackling more than once in a practice:
"Yes, and I have. We have. It is getting a feel. I want our guys to compete that way. When I think we have had enough, then we have had enough. We still have a lot of work to do. It is just Day 2 into this plan and what we are trying to accomplish. We just have to keep going."
On growth of QB DeShone Kizer thus far and their on-field conversations:
"He is a young player. I will always chat with him like I chat with all of them because I think it is important that they continue to understand our system and how to orchestrate our offensive football team. Those are the things that I share with him – little nuances of our system; things that he should look at and see; little keys that are different that he maybe he did not get in college. There are some things that are tell-tale signs in the National Football League that can help you make faster decisions."
On if the QBs sometimes 'relax subconsciously' when there is not a live pass rush:
"Absolutely, guys do it. You have to keep their urgency in their body and their feet, all of it. When you go against (defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams every day, you are under duress anyway. It is fun for our players. It has been good. They have all handled it pretty well. The third down drill was outstanding both ways. Defense earlier, and the offense came back and made some plays. That is what it has to be. You have to be able to make plays on the real downs where we know that we are trying to keep the ball."
On Kizer's poise for his age and how he carries himself compared to other younger players:
"I still think he plays video games, if that is what you mean (laughter). He is a bright young man. He comes from a good program and has a good family. He has worked extremely hard. At the same time, he still has to show. What I mean by that it is he still has to play consistently over time. It has only been two days, but he is different. I agree with you guys. He does see the big picture a little bit different than some other guys do, but that does not always equate to being a really good football player, too. We have a lot of work to do."
On what he liked about QB Brock Osweiler's pass toward the end of practice:
"Just watching him work through progression. I was really pleased with his progression. I was really pleased with the offensive line giving him time, and he was able to shift and move. Brock has really improved. I go back and watch his tape often, and he has really made a lot of strides that way – planting, rhythm, getting rid of the ball and making decisions. All of our guys are working hard. They are all competing and trying to get better, and that's a good thing."
On TE David Njoku fumbling during practice and what he needs to do going forward:
"Hold on to the freaking ball. That has got to stop, and that will get stopped. We will get that corrected because we can't turn the ball over. That is one of the big goals that we have. We can't turn the ball over. He gets that. He understands that. That is something where we can't give the ball away so we need to get that squared away with him."
On if the QBs not throwing the ball downfield during the team period today is a concern:
"No, we are in Day 2. We can't throw the ball down the field every day. We have to have those other plays too where you check it down and throw the ball underneath. We are working on all parts of our game, and that is what training camp is for. There are different phases and different things we are trying to accomplish each and every day, but today wasn't a 'throw the ball down the field' day."
On veterans like DB Joe Haden and OL Joe Thomas sitting out of practice and if those veterans are on an is an every-other-day schedule:
"Like I said, I have met with our medical team, and we have come up with a really good plan to make sure that we get our guys to practice, through practice and try to keep them as healthy as we can. There will be some days when it is every other day and some days when it is not every other day. We will work through it based on what we are doing because when we're in pads, I want the guys out there. I want them on the field and competing that way because that is where real football is played. They won't miss those days. I guarantee you that. It is a plan, and I think that is what is important is a plan to keep our team as healthy as we can."
