Only one day of media availability this week with the Thursday game. Tried to get more out of Haf on Jones, here's that and everything else he had to say on Monday...

On VT game

"We've put that one behind us. Shoot, we're already on to Pitt. We're leaving in two days."

On giving up 600 yards vs. VT

"It's not about the yards, it's about the points. It's about how we played as a team and I think everything we did led to that. You get three takeaways early in the game like that and give them three extra possessions, they get the ball a whole heck of a lot more and we don't stop them. We don't tackle well, we don't play well. I saw it pretty clear on game day. We've got to clean it up, it's been very unlike us for a long time. We need to play better, that's all there is to it. The guys know that, the coaches know that and we're all in it together. we will."

On Elijah Jones and others out for the year

"I think I answered my question pretty clearly when you asked (on Saturday). I respect that you asked again. Elijah's had a great year. He's going through something right now and he's more than likely going to be out. I ask that everyone kind of respects that right now. I've been really honest with you guys throughout and I'll continue to do that. We've got Shitta out for the year. We've got Garwo out for the year. We've got Takacs now out for the year. JB (Jaylen Blackwell) is out for the year, so you guys can cross him off the depth chart...I'm trying to think of anyone else I can expand on...we got some guys bumped up in that (VT) game and we're waiting to see. Kye practiced today, I thought we'd have him back last week, disappointed we didn't, but he had to battle through something and he's ready to go now. Anybody else I'm missing there on injuries? Ryan (O'Keefe) will be out for the year. So, yeah, in the grand scheme of things, you missed O'Keefe at wideout. Garwo at running back. George at tight end. Shitta defensive end. Obviously Bryce (Steele) will remain out for the year. JB will now be out for the year. We'll have the next guy step up and do the best that we can. We've got a lot of young guys playing right now, but it's just...I haven't wanted to talk about a lot of the injuries. Guys that step up they've got to go out and play and that's just the way it's going to be."

On Jaedn Skeetee and young guys that need to step up now

"If you look at what Skeete did the last two weeks, that's a guy who's started playing really well. Max Tucker, same high school. I mean, Max is starting now in multiple games and he's seen significant playing time. Reed Harris got in the (VT) game. Nate Johnson. A lot of those guys are stepping up and it's nice to see. That's how it has to be. I didn't want to make excuses after the Virginia Tech game, we got beat. We'll get better.. Are we disappointed? Yeah. Are we discouraged? No. We'll get better and other guys are going to have to step up and play well."

On if the practice sessions just for young guys in camp can start to pay off now

"Yeah, absolutely. It goes back to, coaches jobs' are to get guys ready to play. We learned that last year and I said it earlier this year, you've got to develop your young guys and that's on coaches. We've recruited them, we've brought them in and we've got to speed them up. They've got to know the scheme and we've got to develop their fundamentals and technique. Eventually, their time's going to come. Kye's a great example. He's fourth string on our depth chart and now we're holding on hoping he can rush it for another 20, 30 times in a game. Guys have to get ready and coaches have got to get them ready. That's really important because everybody's banged up right now. You can either use it as an excuse or you just roll with it and figure out how to win with whoever's on the field. They're all our players, so let's coach them up and have confidence in them and let's go play with them."

On Dino Tomlin and returning to Pittsburgh

"He's going back (home), a Pittsburgh kid. I know Coach (Mike Tomlin) and their family will probably be pretty excited. I know deep down he's probably pretty excited. You guys have been around him, he's a guy you should talk to this week. He's such an unbelievable kid. He's got positive energy. He pushes himself. He studies the game. He works his butt off, he blocks. He catches the ball when it's thrown to him. I think he's having a really good year. I think he's a really good football player. I think he's a phenomenal kid and I think he's such a great guy. He could be a captain of our team the way he is. I'm really glad that we have him for so many reasons. He's like, Mr. Reliable. You can always count on him, he's always going to be there, he's always going to do everything he can. Then, he's going to go out and make plays. He means a lot to this team and I'm sure he's excited to go back and play in a stadium he's probably been in a lot. Maybe he played in it in high school, in a championship game."

On if he can tell Tomlin is a coaches' son

"Yeah. He sits in the front, takes notes. Serious, focused, locked in When you call it up he's right in front on a knee looking you in the eye. Disciplined, detailed, loves ball. Handles adversity well, he's just...he's been well trained. That's a credit to his mom and dad too, because it doesn't always go like that, so give him credit too."

On what Vinny DePalma's meant to the culture and program

"He represents BC football. He's tough, he's gritty, he works at it. He plays with passion. No one's going to out-play him as far as how tough he plays. He's smart, he studies the game. He's a role model off the field. He does well in school. He's an unbelievable human being and he is a tough, tough dude. I wish we could get him back for a seventh year...I actually did (look into another year of eligibility) because he had an injury. But, it was during Covid, so you can't combine, you can't double dip on Covid. But, I'd hire him tomorrow to coach. That's how highly I think of him. There's no doubt about it (he's an extra coach on the field). On the sideline, on the field, in the classroom for the young players. It's nice to have guys like that around. He's such a good program guy and then he's a great player."

On if he thinks DePalma will end up being a coach

"Yeah. I think he'll try to continue and play. His dad's a coach, another coach's kid. I do think he'll get into it. It depends what lifestyle he wants to live. He's got a great degree, can probably go make a lot of money pretty quickly, but I think his passion is in football. So, I would be shocked if he did not."

On the biggest concern preparing on a shorter week

"Just your preparation. You get limited reps, so you've got to kind of shrink your plan in some aspects.You can't show them everything you'd like to. It's being really detailed, having a really tight plan so you don't give them too much since you can't practice it all. Making sure they're fresh. You really worry about that because a lot of guys are banged up and you can't go out and put shoulder pads on and start banging into each other. So, tight plan, be fresh and it hits you really quickly. We did a really good job for the Syracuse short week. This one's shorter by one day, but we're kind of sticking to the same schedule. I think it helps we kind of had a version of this, but short weeks can be tough. Tough on the bodies and tough mentally. They've still got school and everything else going around, so it's not like in the NFL when you're just doing football all the time where you can be there all day. For the coaches, today...in a normal game week, today's already Wednesday. So, you're really two days ahead, so you've got to be careful."

On this no longer being a week about Phil Jurkovec and if they still talk

"Yeah. Phil and I have a really good relationship. I really like Phil. He's a great person, he's a good football player. We thought this would be the week he'd be playing us. Obviously, at quarterback, he's not. But, he's going to go on and do great things. I'm excited to see him."

On Pitt

"They've been banged up up front. They've been playing with a variety of offensive linemen, tight ends, they've played multiple quarterbacks now. I think three different quarterbacks. Their receiving group is really good. I think they're a really solid group. i think they're one of the better ones as a unit that we've played. They've got some athletic tight ends. Obviously, Coach Cignetti being there. We're familiar with the offense, he's familiar with our defense. Obviously, he's expanded in the two years he's been away, as have we. They did some good things against Florida State and beat Louisville, so they're more than capable. i think in college football, you better show up. You look around the country, every week you better show up every single game and be ready to go. Don't look at records and don't look at who's supposed to win. You'd better go out and you'd better play. You better execute at a high level. You better take care of the ball and you better execute on fundamentals and technique. They've got good players and they've won a lot of games there. Coach Narduzzi's done a really good job. He's won the ACC, he's had nine, 10-win seasons and they've got a good staff...there's a lot of familiarity I spent five years there. I was with the Browns when we played at Heinz Field against the Steelers. It'll be my first time playing Pitt at Pitt though."

On what going back there means to him

"It's kind of where I got my start with Coach Wandstedt. I spent a lot of time there. I had a lot of great memories there, made a lot of friends there that are still in the administration or on the staff in different roles...that's where I met my wife. There's a lot of memories there, but it's not about me or me going back. We've got to find a way to go win this game on a short week with a group that's not happy with the way they played. They're going to be ready to go. Like I said, we have a lot to still play for. We do and we're excited about that."

On if he talks to Mike Tomlin

"I talked to Mike when Dino was in the transfer portal. He gave me a call, so we did have a really good conversation. I knew Mike from being in the NFL. I've got a ton of respect for him. He's a DB guy, head coach, defensive guy. Then, obviously I was there at Pitt. But yeah, we probably text every week. We've had really good communication. He's been awesome. Big supporter, very helpful. He's excited for Dino to get back there and play, I can tell. It's cool. He comes to games here and doesn't want to get noticed. I always ask' what do you need?' He just wants to put a hat on and go sit in the stands with the rest of the parents. He's an awesome guy. Take 'Coach Tomlin" out of it, he's a special guy. He's sent me some cool messages and he's been really supportive."

On Pitt QB

"He's got a lot of arm talent. We looked at him actually. He was in the portal and I remember watching his tape. He transferred from Penn State. He actually started against Rutgers and beat Rutgers and I was actually really impressed with his tape. I think he fits what Coach Cignetti wants to do. He's a guy you can drop back in the pocket like a pro-style quarterback. The deep play action passes that we know Coach Cignetti likes to run where he can set deep and throw the ball down the field. It's pretty similar from what you guys remember. They're going to want to run the ball and then they're going to want to throw it 60 yards down the field. Hit some explosives and that's how they play. He's got a really strong arm. He's young. Kind of like our guy, it's only his first year really playing. I think the guy's got a bright future. Obviously, he came in for Phil. I think after the VT game and he's played some good football."

On chess match with Cignetti

"I was talking to the defensive staff about that today. You've got to look what he's done on film this year and not think about two years worth of stuff that he might do because then you're going to drive yourself crazy and you're going to coach against too much stuff and you're not going to defend anything. That's the challenge. We're different. we've got a lot of different things that we didn't do when he was here and it's the same with him. It's more based on the people he has. What personnel does he have? How many tight ends does he have? Does he want to play with two backs? Does he want to get in 11 personnel? Quarterback. Does he have a guy that can run? Does he have a guy that can sit in the pocket? But, you can't go back and watch two years worth of training camp because you'll drive yourself nuts and every play you think is good, you won't have enough time on a short week in practice. My message to them was just be careful. It's got to be more about us and our fundamentals and then awareness of what they do well."