(The defense has had a lot of success to this point, but what areas would you like to see improvement in?)
Just really continuing to play fast with the new scheme. There are things that you don't show in the preseason and you try to practice them accordingly outside of getting everybody ready to play the upcoming game. I just would like to see the defense continue to progress through the menu of defenses that we have in store for the season.
(What are your plans for the quarterback rotation on Thursday, specifically Rodgers?)
We haven't had our meeting yet, but I'm sure Aaron will probably play the first series or so and then we'll to Brian after that. I'm not sure about Matt yet.
(How did Brian Brohm look today?)
I thought Brian had a good day today. I thought he played well in the game. I think he is starting to make some progress.
(Is Anthony Smith making a push for more playing time?)
I think Anthony has done a nice job. He's made a lot of big plays, had some big plays today. I thought the defense in particular had a better day than the offense. Anthony is doing a lot of positive things.
(Can you talk about the process with you and Ted when you are working to trim down the roster?)
The conversation with your football team is just really ongoing. It's something that you talk about all of the time. You evaluate every practice. You spend a lot more time on the game evaluations with the coaches and Ted sits in on those meetings. It's particularly a daily conversation that you are always working through numbers and who is competing against who, and really your competition is really players from other positions competing with other players. Are you going to keep this many guys or that many guys? It's something that you continue to talk about throughout the week, and this is a big game Thursday night for a number of our guys.
(Aside from the 3-4, what has Dom Capers brought to the team?)
Number one, Dom is an outstanding football coach. He's an accomplished football coach. He's a first-class individual. I've enjoyed getting to know him personally. He's done a great job with his staff. It's like anything in this business; it's about the people you work with. When you are hiring a staff, you are going to be spending a lot of time with these individuals. I really like the way he has led the group over there and he has brought the defensive staff together. There is a lot of camaraderie throughout the third floor with those guys. They have all been an excellent addition and that's what you look for in a staff.
(What is your plan for the running backs on Thursday?)
Haven't done the play time quite yet. I can get that to you after we meet. This is technically a Thursday for us. As we evaluate today's practice, we'll have some things we'll look at in tomorrow's practice, and then we'll finalize our play time.
(For the players on the bubble, how do you weigh their performance in games vs. practice?)
You weigh everything. You want me to give you a percentage. It's all part of the equation. A lot of times it's not about talent, because there's a lot of talent on the field. It's how you fit it all together, because you're preparing for your season. You're not just preparing for the Chicago Bears or your first four games. It's the season you're preparing for, it's a menu of things you're trying to be ready for in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams, and you try to make sure your team fits that. That's why it's such a hard decision when you go through each position because there are going to be good football players that have probably earned the right to be on this team that may not make it.
{sportsad300}(With Jackson hurt, is this a good opportunity on Thursday for the other backs?)
I agree with you. I think we've done a good job trying to roll those guys in. That's a very competitive group. Once again, there's going to be tough decisions coming out of the running back group.
(What do you think has made Dom successful?)
Number one, he has experience. People tend to forget he was the one who implemented the defense in Pittsburgh, and it's been there ever since. It's a big part of their success. He's very organized, very detailed, very consistent, and he's an excellent leader. I think he's off to a great start here.
(The Titans have been known to play their starters more in the last game; does that give you a better look at your backups and what they are capable of?)
It's good for us, because you find out about it. If you look at last year's game, particularly I thought our younger players on defense played well in that game, better than we did on the offensive side. It's a great experience anytime you get to play against top-notch competition.
(What is wrong with T.J. Lang?)
He has a foot injury, and we're actually doing some more testing with him this afternoon. We're really not sure what it is, so we'll have more information for you tomorrow.
