Kevin Stefanski - Head Coach, falcons Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-11 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kevin Stefanski addressed the media during a press conference on September 11, 2026, following a practice session as the Falcons prepared for their upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The focus of the conference was on final preparations for the match, including player readiness and strategies for facing the reigning division champions.
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Transcript
Stefanski: All right, good practice out there. You know, it's nice and warm. I know it's going to be warm on Sunday up in Pittsburgh. So we got some finishing touches tomorrow with meetings and walkthrough, and then we'll get on the airplane and head up north and looking forward to the opportunity. It's a unbelievable environment. It's versus a great team. They're the reigning division champs, really good coaches. So we understand what type of challenge this is, and we understand that there's a lot of work that goes into it. So tomorrow is important to get on the same page on a bunch of things in the walkthrough, and then we'll get ready to compete on Sunday. With that, I'll take any questions.
Reporter: Rush your guy for this week?
Stefanski: Yes, Cooper will start.
Reporter: And Jax for two?
Stefanski: Correct.
Reporter: With Cooper, he said yesterday that other than like a two minute drill, the first week of camp, he hadn't taken any reps with the ones until yesterday. Do you believe that he can get up to speed with them, get in sync with the guys that he needs to be in sync with between yesterday, now, and I guess walk through tomorrow?
Stefanski: I do. That's the short answer is I do. The long answer is that's the life of a backup quarterback. And there's been great guys over the course of history that do an excellent job of staying ready so they don't have to get ready and step in. And the reason you're able to do that is because you work so hard in the meeting room and on the practice field to stay up to speed. Now, in an ideal world, would you love to have gotten every rep? Of course, that's no brainer. But I do think there's examples of guys that come in with no reps. And sometimes it's after the first place. Sometimes it's on play 59, whatever it is. And you're expected to compete. And you're expected to hold the standard of the room, in this case, the quarterback room. So Cooper's been a backup in his career. He's been a starter. He knows how to prepare.
Reporter: So as an oblique, would you call it a strain? How would you classify that?
Stefanski: No medical degree. So I'll let you guys classify it. But yeah, disappointed for him, obviously, he's a very competitive person. So disappointed. But he's going to rally behind Coop and do everything he can to help Cooper.
Reporter: Multi-week injury or?
Stefanski: Yeah, not can't really say. Day to day, week to week.
Reporter: We were talking to Cooper yesterday. He did say it to your point about like getting up to speed on the scheme and what needs to happen. You made the comment that it's good that everybody's in year one. And so he didn't feel like there was too much going on. Do you think that is helpful?
Stefanski: I do. I think, you know, when you're in year one of a system, and while there's a bunch of stuff that we've done in the past that are the same, at year one of any system for coaches and players, you get to know where the bones are buried on all these plays. And you know why you spend more time talking about the why and the intent of the play. Sometimes you get to year two and three and everybody, you kind of breeze past that. So I do think there's an advantage to having a bunch of new guys in that room that have asked really good questions so that we can all, you know, figuratively get on the same page.
Reporter: Was there any possibility of Mike possibly playing on something?
Stefanski: No.
Reporter: Why is that?
Stefanski: Mike will be ready when he's ready. You know, again, like I told you guys, whatever day we talked was, I trust in this process. I trust in what we're doing medically, and I trust Mike.
Reporter: How much progress has he made the last week? I mean, would you be confident that you could say maybe he could be ready next week?
Stefanski: As you can imagine, I'm not going to get into next week. Like Mike told you guys, he's getting really, really close to being 100% and being ready to go. And when that time comes, I'll let you guys know.
Reporter: Have you ever had a QB1 get hurt, like, late in a week like this before?
Stefanski: Good question. I don't know. Not that I can recall.
Reporter: What's the challenge now? I mean, again, you have to try to get a guy up to speed. I mean, as a staff, has practice been longer the last few days trying to get more Webster Cooper?
Stefanski: Obviously, we've adjusted things. But, again, this is football. Welcome to the NFL. Guys need to step up, and we need to rally behind guys, and that's just how it operates.
Reporter: Is there kind of a part of you, though, that's like, I can't believe this. Like, you have a whole competition, a whole summer, and you name a starter on Monday, and a few days later, and he gets hurt. There's a part of that that just feels unbelievable now.
Stefanski: Not for me.
Reporter: What went into the decision to go ahead and roll Tua out right now, name Cooper Rush the starter for the weekend, when you really could have waited until Sunday?
Stefanski: Yeah, I think sometimes when there's skill sets, maybe you have a option quarterback as a backup or something. But we're, you know, I think it might be, I think I know it is overrated in that regard.
Reporter: Is Tua's injury related at all to the back?
Stefanski: No.
Reporter: Yeah, coming in. How much have you, like, leaned into, like, last year, like with the Browns, you and Tommy, just playing, like, multiple quarterbacks throughout the season?
Stefanski: Well, not just last year. And this isn't unique to me or coaches. This is the NFL. You have to get guys ready to play at a bunch of different positions. So we've had over the years where you have to play multiple guys. Sometimes you'd love, again, ideal world. You'd love for one guy to get 17 games plus, but that's not, that's not realistic oftentimes. So you do lean on your experience and getting different guys ready. And I think, like we talked about this week, you're putting game plans together and concepts together that the quarterbacks are quarterback is comfortable with. So there is a element that you have to pivot on certain things. And that's, that's not news to anybody. You just want to make sure that you're putting in a game plan that everybody can digest and everybody can be at their best. And that includes a quarterback.
Reporter: So do you have to describe the plan that you originally had? I'm not asking you to, like, place and whatnot.
Stefanski: No, you don't original plan. Yeah, sure. There's, you can, every game plan known to man has tweaks throughout the work week. So sometimes you put a plan Wednesday and it didn't look very good in practice. That's out. Hey, we're putting a new one in today. I've been a part of staffs where you put in a bunch of new plays on a Saturday. So that, that's just constant, constantly changing, amending. And of course, in this situation, there's some of that as well.
Reporter: Do you have a plan as your, who your emergency quarterback will be Sunday?
Stefanski: We do have a plan. Yes. Yes. We always have a plan.
Reporter: Anything else?
Reporter: Do you care to share who that is?
Stefanski: I'll keep that one under wraps.
Stefanski: Okay. Hopefully we don't get there. All right. Thanks guys. Appreciate it.
