Head Coach Brian Daboll
October 26, 2024
Q: How's (outside linebacker) Brian Burns doing? He didn't practice yesterday.
BRIAN DABOLL: He'll practice today. Yeah. (Tackle Jermaine) Eluemunor still won't practice. And then (cornerback) Adoree’ (Jackson), (punter) Jamie (Gillan) and (linebacker) Ty (Summers).
Q: Do you expect to take Eluemunor up to game time? Or do you expect to know today?
BRIAN DABOLL: No. We'll see where we're at today. He's not doing much. He did a walkthrough. I think he'll be okay. But I can't guarantee it.
Q: How do you feel about the cornerbacks at this point? The guys who were banged up of their chances.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we'll see today. Did some stuff yesterday. We'll do some more stuff today. Let it go another day here and see where they're at.
Q: What seems wrong with Adoree’?
BRIAN DABOLL: He's still got the neck. I don't think he'll make it. The other two guys, not sure if they will.
Q: How do you feel if (tackle) Evan (Neal) has to go in the game? You say you're confident, but what makes you confident?
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, he has a significant challenge ahead of him. With (Steelers linebacker T.J.) Watt lining up over there. He's done everything he can do to be as prepared as he can be and has to go out there and do it. But certainly, a tough challenge to be the first time out.
Q: What about the left tackle?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say we're going to make the decision here after practice. But we're going to let those guys split reps as we've gone through practice. And we'll do that again today.
Q: What advice would you give somebody like (cornerback) Deonte Banks going against a player like (Steelers wide receiver) George Pickens? Even when he's covered, he's still a threat to make plays.
BRIAN DABOLL: I think it's been like that every week we've played so far with the players that we've played against. I think (Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach) Jerome (Henderson) does a really good job with those guys. An exceptional receiver. He’s tough to defend. It's like a scorer in basketball. They're going to get their points. They're going to get their targets and catches. You've got to do a good job of game plan. Everybody is involved in that as well. Jerome does a good job with those guys. Certainly, a challenge. He's a heck of a player.
Q: (Steelers quarterback Russell) Wilson has a distinct deep ball, those moon balls. Do you try to do something to replicate that here in practice?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, you try to give the best look you can. But he's excellent at it. Like I said, the numbers are pretty interesting in terms of 20-yard touchdown passes over the last five years. He's right up there at the top. He's got great arc and places the ball. He gives the guys chances. I've seen that plenty when we've gone against him. Then you add the players that they have like Pickens. Go ahead and give them a chance. You have to be tight on these guys.
Q: Based on what we saw in Hard Knocks, one of the reasons that you wanted (defensive coordinator) Shane Bowen was, I think you even said, ‘can you fix our run defense’? You were impressed with his run defenses in Tennessee. You guys being last in the league in yards per carry, how do you fix that? How much of a concern is that? Obviously, his scheme is able to do it.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. Last week were some big numbers too against some big runs. We've got to eliminate some of those explosives and continue to improve on tackling. But that's a challenge every week. How the game's going is also part of that as well. We've got to do a good job on early downs of building walls, setting edges, but it's a complementary game too where they just can't keep running the ball if they're up whatever they are up. It's a team thing.
Q: You went through the whole offseason with (offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu) Josh basically as the backup left tackle. It would be surprising if you bring a guy in and a week later, he may start. What's caused that?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we thought (tackle Christopher Hubbard) Chris was a good addition, a veteran player. We'll end up making the decision. Confidence in both those guys, they've been battling back and forth here for these last couple of days. Whatever we think is best for this game, that's what we'll do.
Q: We talk so much about (Steelers linebacker T.J.) Watt, but (Steelers linebacker Alex) Highsmith.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. And then they play usually seven guys behind it. So, the more you keep in and you only have three guys out and you're jamming, you can only help so many people because then you add (Steelers defensive lineman Cameron) Heyward to the mix too. You can only help on so many people. We're going to have to do a good job of using technique and blocking them, but you could use help on both those edge players as many times as you can get it. It's a give and take here based on what they do coverage-wise with how many people, the more people you keep in, the more people they have defending, the less people you have out. It's just why they're so good on defense. They've got really good personnel, and they're very well coached fundamentally.
Q: Probably maybe the best run defense in the league. When you go into a game knowing it's probably not going to be easy obviously on the ground, to have to stick with it. Do you have a mentality that even if it might not go good on the ground, you have to stick with it?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think that depends on how the game's going. It's always a challenge when you're calling plays and you're getting zero or ones, and then it's long yardage situations, and then their pass rushers. It's a give and take. We're going to have to do a good job of trying to control the line of scrimmage. They've been really good at it forever, however long they've been there since we played them. But there's no way around it. They’re good. We're going to have to do a good job of blocking them.
Q: I know different rehabs call for different things. Has (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) been around here?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah.
Q: Has he been able to do anything? Just meetings?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah.
Q: Growing up, did you have a favorite baseball team growing up not in a major league city?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, not in a major league, but my grandfather, he was a huge baseball guy, and his team was the Yankees. Living with him in his house, he'd watch the Yankees, and he'd watch the Braves, because that's the other team that was on the channel that we had. But we were Yankees.
Q: Do you feel better about (running back) Devin Singletary this week? It seemed like last week you were kind of easing him in or he was still not quite 100 percent yet.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I feel good about Devin.
Q: Do you expect him to have a bigger workload, maybe?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say all three of the backs are going to play, just like we talked about last week. I have confidence in the three of those guys, and based on how the game's going, we'll see who has more of a role, less of a role, but all three of them will play.
