 They communicated with us last night, and we wish the player well. We wish Bowdoin well, obviously, that there's a recovery. We understand what can happen in this game, unfortunately. And so the Patriots are going to focus on them and making sure that they're doing what they need to do to get ready for their season. Would have loved to work with them, but obviously understand that things come up, and we're always able to adjust and adapt, and we'll practice, and we'll get work in, and we'll see where we are here at the end of the week on Friday. Does it maybe change how you approach the final game on Friday night as well? I mean, potentially. We'll just go through our practice days here, and we'll see where the guys are and how they feel, and try to do what we think is best. And the guys made play, some guys may not. After watching last night, what are some of the things you saw on the tape that you didn't maybe see live that you liked, maybe didn't like? I thought we covered kicks well in the second half. I thought we had three tackles inside of 20. I thought some young guys showed up in that regard. I didn't like, I thought the ball security was probably better from our running backs. There was some big emphasis throughout the week. I like the fact that we got at seven pass breakups, seven PBUs. I like the fact that we finished with the football in our hands in a four-minute drive. I think we have to execute as a whole our ability to throw the football and the ability to catch it and the ability to be in the right spots and protect and all those things. So we'll keep working on that. You mentioned seven PBUs. How do you feel like the young guys in the secondary competing for these back-end jobs have done with the competition? I think they have. I think that whether it's on defense or special teams, Anthony Kendall showed up as a special teams contributor. Trey Avery continues to improve. We have different guys working through there at safety. And between Garar and Marsh playing inside and outside. So it was fun to watch. I mean, we played hard, and I know guys were tired. But that's what's supposed to happen. And you don't feel as tired when you win. You don't feel as sore when you win. Is Avery just in a tough spot on that bouncing punt? I thought so. I mean, I thought Kieris did exactly what he was supposed to do. You see the replay. He's pointing and I'm standing there here. It's a 28-yard kick with a bounces back 12 yards. So I would love to sit here and say, man, we're going to need more awareness. And we need somebody up. But I think that was just kind of one of those that that's the way the ball bounces, I guess they speak. But they're competing and they're trying to keep the guy away from the returner. They don't expect a bad punt and it bounces back. So got to line up and play again. That's what happens in football. How do you like the way Justin Murray seemed to get really involved in the rushing game? Well, Justin, I think that you have to look at it from a couple of differences. There's been some improvement. There will be some things that he has to get fixed and maybe that we do a little differently. But I thought he was good in pass protection and had some nice blocks but also had some ones that we have to get fixed. The hold and being able to come down and seal that guy off or on the front side. So I like the emphasis that Justin has had on conditioning and finish and play demeanor and all those types of things. And then there's some little details that would like to get corrected here this week. How much is it? He's a guy that you were complimentary of early on in the offseason. What have you thought about his first two freezes and games? I think he plays strong at the point of attack. I think he was similar to a Westcoe. I think he's a big bodied guy that can go out there and try to neutralize some of those edge defenders and had some really nice blocks on the outside. Had one that probably needs to be better down there on the goal line. Blocking down and the guy crosses his face. But Thomas is going to keep working and he'll show back up tomorrow and be ready to go. Julius up himself on special teams as well as on offense? Yeah, I think Julius showed up on special teams. I think just seeing those things sometimes if he's the backside on the first kickoff of making sure that he trims the fat and squeezes. But I don't think Julius is doing anything to hurt himself and certainly made him a captain yesterday for a reason. Embodies what we believe in and had to drop in practice, had to drop early in the game, but made a heck of a catch down there in the end zone. So those are all things that we try to look at and appreciate. From the film that you watched, what did you see from Malik maybe that you didn't see on the field in your assessment last night? I saw him play fast and felt like the pocket wasn't there. We still need to stop switching the football, which we've told him. And we'll continue to rep. And I think maybe for quarterbacks that don't scramble as much in practice or aren't going to get hit in practice. I'm just trying to think about how we rep that. A guy taking off and having the ball in his right hand and then running and trying to keep him from switching it. And Malik knows that, this is not a secret, but played fast when he took off, was decisive, continue improving with the timing of things and making sure that he's going through his progression so that his timing is there. I'm sure he'd like to have the one back from Nick Westbrook. Probably just pulled the string on a little bit, but also had some balls that again, Chig knows he needs to come down with. And then just the coordination of the interception of making a great decision, if we need that ball thrown in the alley, then if the receiver's for whatever reason, not in the alley, not forcing it in there and knowing it's covered too and just finding a place to get rid of the football so that we're not putting it in harm's way. I've seen Caleb come along here during camp, like. Caleb. Kelmer. Good, I mean he factors in past Russian and he continues to try to find a role on special teams, he loves his attitude, shows up every day ready to work, had a great rush in there, matched the hand, didn't leave his feet. Quarterback brought the ball down and had a nice sack impacted the play. Would like to see him try to tomahawk that ball when he spun back in on the second sack and there's just some few, I would just say, awareness things. Sometimes on a screen or run game, things like that, but as far as Russian, he's showing an ability to win and wrap him more this week. The third series you guys had, the third and four, I think, and you give the ball to Spears. So a little bit of confidence in him there and then also what you think of the run that he had there on that third and fourth play. Plus territory. Yeah, we even know why we called it or what we. Third and four to go with the run and then I guess what did you think of his run? Just trying to pick up the first down any way we can. Thought it was a good run, but that was able to get out on the corner and make a miss and kind of got caught in an awkward situation just making sure that he protects himself and he did a much better job with ball security this week. There's a really cool picture of him jumping over the safety and the ball is exactly where Justin and Timmy and the Titans needed to be, which is great. Being able to make those moves. We talked about the stiff arm last week where the ball was there. And Tajé is a coachable kid, man. He wants to do it right and that was a really cool play. But most importantly, him leaping over the guy and the ball not being away from his body was probably the most impressive. He didn't get much kicker information out of game situations. Where do you stand and you're thinking about kicker and you can't create the situations? It's hard, yeah, it's hard. I mean, whether you want to try to, for example, fourth and two at the 50th, it's probably a coin flip. Wanted to try to give Stoney a plus 50 and that ball needs to be better than the 17-yard line and Stoney knows that, right? So that's in my mind in that game, looking at whether we go for it or whether we punt it. But wanted to try to get Stoney a plus 50 because that was a point of emphasis. And I know that your question was about the field goal kickers. But just using that as an example, felt like I could kind of create that one. I think just the consistency. I think that those guys, Caleb and Trey, of the consistency each and every day. And sometimes we're not going to be able to get all those kicks, but we're going to be able to evaluate them in practice. And we'll keep seeing where we're at and seeing if we can create those same situations this week and trying to make a decision. What would you say is the situation with Mike Rice? We haven't seen him in a bit. Just that, I mean, he's not available. When he's ready to go, he'll be back out there. How's Kevin's been from the beginning? You say these guys first, and I don't know who you're talking about. Nicknames for all of them. Good, I thought he settled down. I don't think he was at his best to start, but settled down and played well. And had a tough holding call there on the punt team, which, watching it again, I don't think that the league, I hope the league doesn't want that called where you stop a guy with two hands in his chest and then try to shed them to go down on the punt team. So we'll see what they say, see what their interpretation is, and go from there. But Gaby's reliable. He's able to do his job, to communicate. And so that's where he is. And that's all I want to last night. What's the rationale for you? Mason's out there every day. Mason's probably during the times that he's spent on our practice squad, probably runs more than any player that we have on our roster, whether it mean running a receiver, playing DBE throughout practice that you guys may or may not see. And I wanted to give him the opportunity. We had practiced it. I mean, when I say practice, we walked through on Friday. I guess that was the extent of practice. And I was like, you want to do it? And he was like, yeah. I was like, OK, well, let's do this series. And then made a play. And then we put Malik in and converted. Where's he in the course of his receiving development? I think good. I think some of the details, maybe it's like all these guys. But Mason shows up. He catches the ones that we throw them. Had a great conversion, got drilled, limped off, stayed in the game. I mean, it just, guys that keep showing back up and getting back in there, it's easy to evaluate them because they're out there. I guess another week with numbers at receiver a little bit banged up there with Traylin and now Kyle and Kieris. Well, we've been OK there. We've had some bodies. And that'll be more reps for some other guys. But we'll see if once I finish up here, they're still early on in the treatment process. You can lead a quarterback. I don't think so. I wouldn't imagine us needing to sign a quarterback. Quickly, Tim Kelly was pretty complimentary of Malik's decision making quickness in the first week. Did you see continuation of that against Minnesota? Any change in that? No. No, I mean, I don't like the decision to throw the end cut that don't like that decision. But I thought that there, again, was some, everybody's responsible. It starts with protection. When we got the protection, we were able to progress through and find two third down conversions. We won there at the end of the game on third and four. Again, if the protection breaks down and Malik's got to take off, that's a skill set. And that can be a strength. When the protection is there and Nick is there on the through, we've got to hit it. Malik knows that like we can't short arm. We've got to let it go. I'm sure we'd love to have it back. But keep working, excited about his ability to use his legs as a weapon. But then also remain a passer. Would like to see him on the shitty snap from Brew. Take care of the football. I mean, that's a turnover waiting to happen, knowing that he's out of the pocket and then just throwing it, taking care of his body. I felt like just run out of bounds, all these little things at the end of the game for a minute. Hey, bud, love the call, loved everything that we did. We just need 10 yards to get a first down slide. You're not trying to score there. We don't want to go and put the ball in harm's. All these little things that situationally is great that it comes up. That there you convert a first down. They don't have any timeouts. It goes to the two minute warning. That game is over. So a first down is really all we need. We don't need you trying to take off and outrun everybody and let a safety come in and give you a hit that's not warranted or put the ball in harm's way. Just get out and we'll kneel on it. How has Willis been, because you've described all those things, how has he been as far as seeing that, recognizing, and not making that same mistake twice? Good. I mean, he's been good. We talked about early on in the situational work, in the situational work of the two minute. And then the other day, in Green Bay, looking at the tape, nobody moved when they called it a false start. I mean, nobody moved, the receiver didn't move. They practiced, made a mistake. But it was a good situation to say, OK, here's the process of it. It's going to start on the ready, but the ready includes the referee walking in, spotting the ball, getting past you, and then Clay or whoever the referee is, blowing the whistle. Me explaining that, we can't do that when refs are here, so Corey just snapped the ball. And so it was like, well, we didn't put it ready for play, means that the official is going to pass you. And then they're going to blow the whistle. Then we have to snap it and have a play ready. So that was good that that came up. I'm sure the next time that you get a, you know, the ball is going to be, the clock's going to start on the ready for play and not the snap, that Corey will be better, Breu will be better, you know, Malik, Corey snapped the ball. So in that instance, it was a really cool situation just to be able to say, guys, if there's a review and it goes to a running clock or there's a 10 second runoff, this is how it operates, instead of just continuing to show them, these guys feeling it and saying, okay, the umpire is going to come in, it's going to spot it. They're still going to give them time to back away and then they're going to blow. So that's happened the other day. And so hopefully we can create that this week and get some officials here. I think they're going to still come. So we'll try to get that covered again this week. This will go into your decision about whether or not some of the guys who haven't played yet, the pre-season, whether you're playing or not, what are the kind of pros and cons of getting guys' work and before the season starts? I want to try to get everybody ready for the season but also try to get them to the season. Somebody's got to play. Just making sure that they're conditioned and Harold hasn't played. Harold may need to go out there. For example, there's a lot of different things that we look at individually. See how we come out of practice the next couple of days health-wise and then be able to determine that these guys will go out there and play for a little bit. I don't know how much or how little. Do you feel like the first team offense got enough work out of those two days in Minnesota that may not be necessary to run them out there Friday night? I thought we got good work. I don't know how much is enough or how much is, you know. DeAndre's played in a lot of football games. Ryan's played in a lot of football games and Derek's played in a lot of football games. Other than that, everybody that was healthy played. Wesco had some good blocks in practice. He had some good blocks last night. Had some things he needs to fix but wanted him to go out there. Because what happens is the less guys that you play, the more snaps that the special teams guys get on defense or offense and the more snaps they get on special teams and run out of IVs. What do you say? Do you want Chestnut's style that makes him successful? What are some things he does well? Well, I think he's got good quickness for a bigger guy. He's got quick feet. He's got a good little jump cut, cool little vision on that touchdown. Kind of started out here and did a C-gap. The mic jumped out there and burst it through there and scored a cool little touchdown. He's been a reliable runner for us. And we talked about him being able to continue to catch the football and help and find a role on special teams. And he's a worker. Probably one of the best finishers on our football team when you see guys, receivers, and I'm sure you guys watch practice. You'll see 36, you know, hauling ass down the field when he doesn't have the ball, when he probably plays without the football. As far as putting the ball in harm's way. Hey, it was cool. His mom was there last night too, so that was cool. Saw her before the game on a sudden, just walking by. And so what a game for her to be at for Julius. As far as putting the ball in harm's way is concerned, Malik has had three fumbles in two games. Is that more circumstantial, just where he's hit in the pocket or is there something you'd like to see him do to put the ball in? Did they put the fumble on him? The one that we whistled into his shins with the snapper? I don't believe so. No, okay. I mean, sometimes the strips, you know what I mean? It's like, we all know that the quarterback every week is, you know, if you look at the stats, right? The quarterbacks lead the league in fumbles. They're the easiest targets. There's the ones that have the ball the majority of the time. The pass rushers, so, you know, strip sacks are tough. You know, we gotta run those guys by. And if there's one hand on the ball or it's down on our side, then I'm gonna put it on the quarterback. I mean, if he's trying to step up and pull through and you've got two hands on the football, you know. So I more or less, you know, when it's out here and you can see it off the body or you're switching it on contact, those are the things that we'll just keep, you know, coaching and teaching. Have a great night.