Opening statement:*
"It is good to walk out of here without any injuries, first and foremost. We are excited about that. Just taking the players through the proper process of what we do in the locker room, going from the locker room to the warmups, the pregame, back into the locker room, out on the field where we have to do different things at for our team tonight and what it would be like on Thursday so there were a lot of things we threw at them today, and I thought they handled that part well. There was some spotty play on the field, but it wasn't about who won or anything like that. We are just competing and trying to do some things differently offensively, defensively and on special teams. We accomplished that. We know we have some work to do before next Thursday night, but it was good to get in our stadium and understand where everything and how everything works and where everything will go as we start this season."
On LB Christian Kirksey's status:
"He is good. Kirksey is fine. He could have gone back in, but I shut that down real quickly."
On the QBs' performance:
"Like I said, there was spotty play here and there. We were mixing and matching and playing. In fairness, I thought they all tried to hold their own pretty well. (QB) Brock (Osweiler) did some good things. (QB) Kevin (Hogan) did some good things with the White Team. There were some things that (QB) Cody (Kessler) could have done better, and there are some things that (QB) DeShone (Kizer) could have done a little better. We will just keep growing from that. That wasn't to me a true indication of who they are and what they are. It was good to get them in our stadium, on our field, around our fans and see what that is going to be like so that next Thursday night that is not new to them. They all will understand what that feels like and looks like."
On Kizer's two-minute drive at the end of the scrimmage and if he missed RB Duke Johnson Jr. on the last series:
"Yes, he missed that one. He would be the first to tell you that. That is a ball that he normally makes. To me, that is his first time in this stadium making that throw in that end zone. You have to be here. I would be surprised if a lot of our quarterbacks don't show back up here later on tonight just to go back through that. That is what the good ones do. They find out, this is your home, this is where you play, and the elements are a little different than the practice field. We were in a closed environment now. It is different when you see things, but we have to make those plays, and we will as we move forward."
On if he will look into potential changes to the QB rotation following the Orange & Brown Scrimmage:
"Absolutely, I will. I have to. We have a game next Thursday. I will definitely look at it. As I said to all of you the other day, it doesn't mean whichever road we decide to travel for next Thursday that doesn't mean that is the starter for the season. That might be for a game until we see more. We might need to see more as I said a while back. All of this is good information for me, good data for me, good data for our staff and good data for our executive team to really look at every possibility we have as we move forward."
On if he plans to change the QB rotation or evaluate making a change:
"I will look at it, and I may change it. I didn't say that I will. I may change it, absolutely."
On if the QB rotation could be different tomorrow at practice:
"It probably won't be tomorrow. As we start getting ready to play New Orleans, by Monday I'm sure it will be what it is going to be."
On WR Corey Coleman's pass:
"Come on (laughter)."
On calling a trick play in a scrimmage:
"We called it. That is the bottom line. At the end of the day, it was called. We didn't execute it. I probably felt the same way you did and let's keep going (laughter)."
On his impressions of DL Myles Garrett:
"He is a good player. He did some good things. There are some other sacks, that again, I was trying to be friendly to both sides. I was trying to play mediator there for a moment because there were some other hits that I think we would have had on the quarterback that the officials didn't call because buys know that they are trying to stay away from the quarterback. It was played pretty cleanly from both sides. Guys wanted more sacks than what they got, and that is part of it. I get to make those decisions right now."
On if he is concerned that the first team offense didn't score on the second team defense:
"No, not at all. I'm being honest. I have been through these things so many times. I have been where we didn't even make a yard before and then Thursday night looked like gangbusters. No, it wasn't about that. Not at all. I think it is about our players understanding the process, coming out and competing, putting on that uniform and getting ready for Thursday night."
On if it is too early to say certain players jumped out tonight with their performances:
"Absolutely, I like to watch the tape before really commenting on that and saying who did some really good things. I had a pretty good view, but as the coach, you get to looking at some very specific matchups. I need to watch it all to answer that question for you."
On when he wants to know his starting QB for the season opener:
"Whenever I know. I don't think there is a rush."
On if the third preseason game is a fair prediction to name a starting QB:
"It is. That is fair. I think that is a fair date, but I want to do it as fast as I can. As I said to all of you, I'm not going to rush because everyone wants to know tonight, tomorrow and the next day. What is important is that we do it the right way."
On Kizer's throw across his body near the end of the scrimmage:
"You just said it, and that is what I told him. You can't throw the ball across your body in the end zone with people there. Those are things that happen. That is a learning and teaching moment for him, and that is something he will grow from. He gets it. As I said, you are right. Those are the things that young players, I think we all know, revert back to. That is what we have to get out of him in those situations."
On DB Jabrill Peppers and Peppers being around the ball this evening:
"He is coming on – just more comfortable, playing more plays, understanding the defense better. I saw him smack a couple of people today, which is good. That is who he is and that is what we think he will bring to the table. I thought he caught the punts really well and kickoffs. Jabrill is a good football player. He is going to contribute to this team."
On if RB Matthew Dayes multiple touches was by design:
"You get to see him a little more. He has done some really good things. Every day in practice, he has made a play. He did it today, too. He has caught the ball well. He catches the ball a little better than I thought he would. He has improved that way. He has a legitimate opportunity here.
On if the QBs are making the decision tough by one not 'jumping out and grabbing' the starting position:
"Not really. You want somebody to be head and shoulders above everybody else, but let's be honest, when you have four guys that you are giving a bunch of reps to, it is hard to do. Pretty soon, as I said before, we have to stop that part of it and move forward with who we think can really go play quarterback for us. That is the fair thing to do. When you bring four guys into camp and you have an open competition, you have to be fair. That is first and foremost because the other players are watching me as I conduct this competition with them. You have to appear fair. They also understand and know that at some point in time, a coach has to make a decision about what is best for our football team. We are getting closer to that than we are not, and that is where we are headed."
On if whichever QB starts Thursday is the new player to beat in the QB competition:
"I know you guys want to use that headline (laughter). You can look at it like that… Until I really make that decision, can I really honestly answer that question and say that I know without question that this is the guy to beat, he would have to go and stink it up, and if he did, he wouldn't be the quarterback? I think this thing is still really fluid in my mind. There are four good candidates. We have a lot of work to do, but at the same time, I think there are some guys that will rise to the occasion with more work and more opportunity."
