Q. How did Sam look in practice today?
KLINT KUBIAK: I'll let Coach talk about all things related to Sam.
Q. How did everything else look?
KLINT KUBIAK: Yeah, I thought we had a really good practice. Drew got some reps in there, did a really good job. A lot of confidence in Drew and all of our guys.
Q. That backup role is a tough one. What has Drew shown you over the first year?
KLINT KUBIAK: Yeah, Drew has been really impressive throughout OTAs and in training camp and in his role. He started a lot of football games, 28 games in the league, so a lot of confidence in Drew. Brought him here for a reason.
Q. Was today the first day Drew got reps?
KLINT KUBIAK: No, he's gotten -- you split them throughout the year. Definitely not as much as the first guy.
Q. An oblique injury for a quarterback, what's the biggest hamperer?
KLINT KUBIAK: Yeah, obviously with any injury, you just want to know what the significance is, so I'll let Coach talk about all those things.
Q. Three straight big games in a row. What are you seeing that's really hitting throughout the last month or so?
KLINT KUBIAK: Just guys improving throughout the season, offensive line, running backs, everything. That's what we're looking for is constant improvement as the year goes on. You're only as good as your next day, so we've got to keep improving.
Q. How did Charles Cross do coming back this week?
KLINT KUBIAK: Really good to have Charles back. He looks great. He looks rested, ready to roll.
Q. Who is behind him with Josh being out?
KLINT KUBIAK: Yeah, we're given a lot of reps to Josh, Amari, so we've got guys that have done that role plenty of times in practice.
Q. When you're going to put a game plan together for a team you just saw a couple of weeks ago, do you start from scratch or do you go back to what you had in week 18 and build off of that?
KLINT KUBIAK: A little bit of both. You definitely have familiarity with the opponent. Obviously you have a whole new game to watch, two games to watch, adjustments that they've made and things that we've been working on. It's a little bit of a mix of both.
Q. How have you seen Jalen Milroe kind of -- we haven't seen him play in a little while. How has he progressed?
KLINT KUBIAK: He's made improvements throughout the entire year, getting reps with the look team. He's been phenomenal in the meeting room. Just a guy that's really committed to growth. Andrew and Tyson Prince, those guys have done a great job developing throughout the year.
Q. What was the experience like going through the head coaching interviews?
KLINT KUBIAK: It was good. There was a lot going on. It was on a couple of our days off, it was perfect timing, and then right back to business after that.
Q. Did you do in the prep ahead of time, whether it be in the off-season or during the season for those type of moments, or was it just like, all right, this team called, so start the process?
KLINT KUBIAK: Yeah, in this profession, those are things that you're always kind of thinking about in the summers, in your off time, so that when those times come, then you're ready to roll. But main thing is just being yourself.
Q. How much of a distraction was that? You mentioned it was the off weeks, but you had to prepare a little bit before then.
KLINT KUBIAK: It wasn't. Had some conversations, and they were good conversations, very flattered for that opportunity, but we've worked our entire season, our whole lives for games like this. This is the most important thing.
Q. Seems like the screen game has made some progress the last half of the season. When did you decide that was something you wanted to focus on, and how have you guys gotten better there?
KLINT KUBIAK: I just think our backs have done a great job in practice. Every week you're trying to see what fits best for that opponent. But K9 and Zach, those guys are really patient screen runners, and our offensive line has done a good job with their timing.
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