Q. A couple of your guys talked about fighting off bad thoughts, for lack of a better word. They're getting a little frustrated. Is that something you guys deal with as a group, or do you leave it up to each player?
MATT CANADA: Obviously until we start performing at the level that we believe we're capable of, then we're going to be frustrated.
We can't go out and not execute and not make the plays we want to make early in the game, late in the game, at any point in the game.
Until we do that, there's going to -- everybody is human, right? Everybody wants to play well. Everybody has got a burning desire to be good. We've got to be better than we've been.
I don't know if that addresses your question. Obviously we're talking about --
Q. Do you start as a group --
MATT CANADA: To a point. We're trying to stay positive, but I think everybody has got to have their own mental toughness through that, and it's probably easier said than done at times. We've got to find a way to get back to playing the way we believe we're capable of playing.
I know the players are working hard to do that, to your question, collectively and individually.
Q. How unique is this week? Short week, not knowing who your quarterback is going to be, and trying to game plan and figure that out?
MATT CANADA: Obviously I think both of our quarterbacks are talented and can play, so we've just got to move forward with a plan and have great faith they can both execute it as they will. If something were to happen - let's hope they stay healthy - but we've got Mason, as well. We've got to game plan what we see on tape and it's a limited rep week anyway. Didn't practice yesterday, short couple days today, so it's not like there's a lot of reps to divvy up. We'll just progress as we would have and see where we go when it's time to kick off and see how Kenny is feeling and make a decision at that point.
Q. What do you need to see from Kenny this week in terms of physical signs of improvement?
MATT CANADA: We just need to see him being able to play at full speed. Probably a lot of that to be entrusted to him, which we have great trust in him. If he feels like he can play and help the team, then -- he could have done that. He could have gone back in, and you guys were all there, at halftime he was down there throwing, he made a decision that he wasn't able to play at the level to help us win.
Great faith in Kenny that if he's able to play, he'll play, and if he feels like he's not able to perform and do his job, he'll tell us.
Q. In this short span, are you able to put together plays for two quarterbacks if they like different things?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, I guess that we always -- to a point, you're always prepared for something like that to happen. You never want it to happen. We've always got our plan of what we believe we like in the game plan as coaches, and then there might be a slight variation.
If you look at a section of plays, whatever situation, Kenny might have a different preference first through four than Mitch does, and we certainly always have that ready to go. That won't be any different.
Q. Yesterday at Mike T's press conference said Mitch as far as being an asset to Kenny and his preparation and the day-to-day operation. Now that he might have a chance to start and actually have a full week of prep as opposed to getting thrown in the line of fire, so to speak, does anything change from a preparation standpoint, or how do you plan for Mitch versus Kenny in terms of who might go out there and start?
MATT CANADA: Like I said, we've got to prep with what we feel the best plan is. I think obviously they're both pros. Mitch is a pro. You prep like you're starting every game no matter what. That's the only way we can be ready to go play.
We've got great faith in that. They've both worked really hard. We'll see where we are when it's time to play.
Q. I know Jaylen Warren has gotten fined a couple times for unnecessary roughness, and he was telling us that's just -- he doesn't know any other way to do the blocks that he's executing and getting fined for. Is there anything that you guys can do or what you're asking the league about to clarify what he can do to not get fined on those plays?
MATT CANADA: That would be a Coach Tomlin question.
Q. Considering how good the running game looked last year, can you put your finger on what the problems are this year?
MATT CANADA: It's like we're just not getting the results that we need to get, and we have to continue to push. We're coming in to a point where we've got to start seeing some improvement in all aspects of it, but obviously our run game, we have a lot of time invested. We believe we want to be a good running team and put our finger on what it is. It's whatever happens on that play.
But we certainly want to see that increase and improve.
Q. About your quarterback, can that run game be an asset to you guys this week?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, but I think we always want it to be. It's a fair question, but I think we certainly have not made any bones about we want to run the football and we want to be good, so the prior questions -- we have to continue to be better in the run game, establish the run game, and be something that we feel good about. We do, we will. We just have to start doing it...
Q. George obviously is often getting extra attention. What do you tell your quarterbacks about do you want them to take more chances that way?
MATT CANADA: I thought they both did a really good job. They went out and basically doubled -- I think George was double teamed almost every play except for those times I think he was targeted. We had a couple shots we just didn't quite get, maybe one we didn't see, and then the one they went, brought pressure, misguided the ball and he scored a touchdown.
I think we'll have to continue to try to do the best we can with that. But I say it all the time about any part of the game; if they want to put two people on him, then obviously other areas of our passing game have to elevate, and they should. If they've got two people designated for George, we've got enough good players and talent, and I have great faith in our Qs to then put the ball where they should be more vulnerable. Obviously they have a coverage. They believe they're going to cover us, we believe we're going to get open. That's why we play the games.
But we have to do a good job of seeing it, and I think the quarterbacks did try not to force it. It's hard. Everybody wants George to get the ball. We saw what happened when he got it. But we've got to be smart. We have to continue to work and find schematics to help him, and we'll always try to do that.
But again, the defense can dictate that a little bit. With any great wide out, which as you guys study other people, you know that's the case. A lot of big-time wide outs like to get the ball and their targets at what they are, and we feel good about the guys out there not allowing that to happen all the time because of Diontae and those things. We've got some other weapons they've got to cover.
Q. When it comes to achieving explosive plays, how much of that is designed and how much of that comes by taking a chance?
MATT CANADA: Most of it's I think -- obviously some explosive plays we run after the catch, so those are a short throw that ends up being a bigger play. Obviously there's times you take shots down the field, and we don't want -- we want our guys taking what they give us in a sense, and obviously if we see something where a defense is vulnerable, we'll try to take advantage of that.
Q. The next play of the game seemed like an example of that. What did you see that allowed you guys to draw something up that didn't exactly work but the play was right?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, obviously Kenny read the play correctly. They had two guys on GP and therefore there was a chance with a little bit of an opening in the middle. Obviously we didn't execute it. It's not a good play until we get it all put together.
Q. You've been around a lot of different fan bases and had scrutiny from all of them, but is there something different about the way maybe the fans here are vocal or scrutinize maybe every little thing that you do?
MATT CANADA: I wouldn't respond to that.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports