Adam Stenavich - Head Coach, packers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-15 | Full transcript (primary source).
Adam Stenavich, Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers, addressed the media on September 15, 2026, following the team's recent game. The press conference focused on the challenges faced during the game, particularly regarding communication issues within the offense.
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Transcript
Stenavich: Yeah, it was just miscommunication up front, backs in a line, not on the same page. That's one of the hard things about, you know, obviously playing in that environment. We all have to do a really, really good job communicating. There's a lot of really good pickups, and then, you know, a couple that weren't, and when you cut guys loose like that, obviously you could turn into bad things for the offense, so we've got to make sure we don't do that again.
Stenavich: Yeah, I mean, I said it last week in my press conference that this was going to be probably the toughest environment that we were going to play in, mixed with, you know, all the pressures and different communication things we were going to have to face. So, yeah, it's one of those things. You just got to be ready right away, and, again, I thought we did a nice job on some things, but then, you know, when you have one or two plays where things break down and you're not on the same page, that's where we got to make sure that can't happen again.
Stenavich: Yeah, I'm not going to freak out or overreact or anything like that. Like, this is the first game of a 17-game season, so that's one thing. We just got to make sure we keep improving, we keep focusing on the things that we can control, and that's the biggest thing is guys just got to make sure they're on a weekly basis, on a daily basis, just trying to improve a little bit at a time, and I think over the season, that'll become big.
Stenavich: We, just going through practice and kind of evaluating the last few weeks, we felt that Donovan was doing a better job in practice and things like that. They both played pretty well in the preseason, and I think just the accumulation of what happened over the last few weeks in practice, we just felt, at this time, more comfortable with Donovan playing.
Stenavich: It's a daily process, every guy just come in being focused, digging into the game plan, digging into your fundamentals, and having great attitudes to go and be their best.
Stenavich: No, you're not, but it's something we've been dealing with for a while, so it's not anything new, but it's just a part of the things you have to deal with as a player in the coach and in the NFL. So there's no excuse, whoever's in there is expected to perform with whatever job they're asked to do, and it's your job as a coach to make sure these guys are prepared for whatever you ask them for.
Stenavich: Yeah, until you stop them, absolutely. Yeah, there's no doubt, like they see that stuff and we got to just make sure we're making people pay.
Stenavich: I think the run game got kind of skewed. Obviously we had a few negative runs that guys got cut loose here and there that we got to make sure we fix. I think with that run game, we do a better job there. It would have appeared on paper a lot better than what it was. But yeah, we're always trying to hunt explosives. Obviously, as you said, it's the fastest way to score points. So that's one thing. We're always going to be aggressive as an offense. We have playmakers all over the field. So we're going to push the ball down the field and just be us.
Stenavich: Yeah, we're going to keep working that this week.
Stenavich: I thought coming back, dealing what he's been dealing with, it was a plus from what I was, you know, just wanted. He hadn't gotten a lot of reps in practice and things like that. He made it through the game. He battled. Was it his best game? No, but I think there's a lot he can build on. And I expect him, as this season rolls through, for him to be playing some pretty high level ball pretty soon.
Stenavich: Oh, God. We were talking about that in the O-line. It's like, that happens once in your career. That's like, you know, pretty unbelievable. But two times in basically one drive, it was unbelievable. So obviously not a good situation you want to be in. But yeah, that was nuts.
Stenavich: Yeah, put the ball in the outside arm and just don't fumble it.
Stenavich: I think he can be better, and he will be. There are some plays I think he would like to have back. But again, it's first game of the year. And we just got to make sure we're improving with our technique and everything like that.
Stenavich: Yeah, the best pass protection is running the ball. There's no doubt about that. So any time you can, the problem, you just have to have a consistent run game. You can't have a six, seven, eight yard gain. And then now it's first and 10. And then all of a sudden, you've got a negative run or a zero. And now you're forcing yourself into a passing situation. So I think the more consistent you can be in the run game, that's what's going to help you just make sure you're hammering out three, four, five yard gains to keep you in those situations where you can run or pass.
Stenavich: Yeah, no. That's one of the things that makes him so impressive is his ability to get the ball out accurately with pressure in his face. Obviously, up front, we got to make sure we keep him out of those situations as much as possible. But as you know, in the NFL, quarterbacks got to be able to make plays no matter what. So yeah, he's done that for a while now, and it's pretty impressive.
Stenavich: Yeah, I can't think of another game where we had that many pressures on the quarterback. So I think definitely this is probably his best performance, for sure.
Stenavich: Yeah, it's just experience. And he just has confidence in himself. And a lot of guys, you can see, kind of get scared in the pocket once pressure gets on him. And he doesn't have that. He doesn't really flinch. So that's a pretty good quality to have with your quarterback.
Stenavich: Yeah, it's not good enough. That's not the standard. That's not what we're going to be about. We've got to be better.
Stenavich: No, they didn't really do anything differently. We just had miscommunications. And obviously, we just talked about cutting guys loose and guys not doing the right thing. So we just got to make sure we're focused in those moments so that we don't have those critical errors that cost us games. Because in my opinion, that's what cost us the game is right there.
Stenavich: Yeah. We just had miscommunications and mental breakdowns. We just got to make sure we're focused in those points. It could be a multitude of different things. Like I said, just miscommunication of someone making a call, everyone not being on the same page, a guy not doing the right thing out of the huddle, whatever it is. I'm not going to get into it. But that's kind of what it boiled down to.
Stenavich: I'm sure it did. I'm in the box, so I can't really hear the crowd noise. But I can't really feel it like you would be on the field. So I definitely think that probably played a part in it, for sure.
Stenavich: Yeah, no, it was good. I think MG had the most targets. And obviously, Christian was right behind him, and he made some really big plays. They both made some really big plays. So it was great to see those guys. I'd like to see Jay Reed get him a little bit more involved this game, get him some more touches. But again, he came through and made some plays. Obviously, Tuck, he had some pretty big plays down the field for a few. So yeah, it was good. We spread the ball around, and yeah, all those guys were very big contributors.
Stenavich: I saw exactly what I thought I was going to see. You know, he did a great job blocking, made plays down the field. He looked exactly how I expected.
Stenavich: Yeah. Yes. But I have all the confidence in the world that Jordan could get that done. He's done that many times in his career. And it's not just on Jordan. It's up front with the offensive line. Everyone's just got to be better. We got to get one yard. No matter what the situation, whoever's sneaking it, the expectation is to get the first down. So you know, we absolutely have to be better there.
Stenavich: Yes, we do. It's called the Tucky Sneak.
Stenavich: Yes. The short answer, yes. With the rep counts that he was having and everything like that, you know, it's one of those things you don't know how much he was going to be available at those situations. But yeah, I'll just leave it at that. Yes.
Stenavich: Yeah, I felt like as far as guys knowing what to do going into a game plan, I felt pretty good with all of that stuff. But again, when you get into those environments, it's just a good learning tool for everybody of how important it is to just be on top of your communication in those hostile environments. So we just got to learn from it and get better.
Stenavich: Just making sure we're focused. We can't let one loss turn into two. We got to be focused. We got to improve and go out and just play our brand of football for four quarters. We've shown that we can be one of the best offenses in the NFL. But we've got to put an entire game together. So I think that's the biggest thing for us, is just making sure we go out there and finish.
Stenavich: They all know that they didn't play well enough. It sounds like they're not aware of that. So how do you challenge them, also maybe help their confidence a little bit, and also get the competition going like that? Is this a tough week to coach guys, or is this a pretty straightforward? I mean, yesterday was tough. Yesterday was tough. But whether you win or lose in the NFL, you've got to put that behind you, and you've got to move on on Wednesday to get ready to go. Because the only thing that matters is beating the Jets. That's it. So our mindset is just on one game at a time, learn from what happened in the past, and just go out and improve on a daily basis so you can be at your best on Sunday. That's it.
