OK, we had two guys that did not practice today: Michael Montgomery and Mark Tauscher. Their status will stay the same. Everyone else practiced, and everyone else's status will stay the same.
(What is Montgomery's injury?)
Right knee - he got hurt Wednesday in practice.
(Any chance he'll come back before the end of the year?)
I'm hopeful. We'll know more after we get through the weekend here. It was the last play of team run.
(Is it a bad one?)
Well, it's one of those things where a guy gets rolled up on. It's unfortunate; you never want to see it happen. It happens sometimes in your padded drills - very unfortunate.
(How does David Martin look?)
David practiced much better today than he did yesterday. We'll actually make a decision close to game time. I thought Zac (Alcorn) has done a nice job, and so I want to see how David feels Sunday. I feel good about the other guys.
(What can you do to kick start the offense on the opening drive?)
Well, we're not doing a good job scoring on the first drive, but our first quarter production is very good. We need to do a better job coming out of the gate, and this is something that we've emphasized. We do the first-15 play normal down and distance thoughts like a lot of people do. We can do a better job on the first drive, but we are starting okay. As an offense, you always want to do better.
(How much time did Corey Williams and Cullen Jenkins see on the outside?)
They worked some this week out there. The rotation of using all those guys - I think Johnny Jolly has done an excellent job here, and we're looking to maybe give him an opportunity. As we talked about earlier in the week, it's trying to create opportunities for guys that are performing well in the practice environment and could potentially have an opportunity to play on Sundays.
(Have any feelings going back to San Francisco and playing?)
Oh, definitely. I think it is an outstanding organization, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of that organization for a year. It was a great opportunity that they gave me. I'm very fond of Mike Nolan and his wife Kathy. I think Mike is an outstanding coach, and I was fortunate to learn a lot of things from him from a structure standpoint. I think he has a lot of interesting ideas and viewpoints on building a program. I was able to carry that with me. It's a coaching staff I have a lot of respect for. I think they have a lot of excellent coaches on that staff, particularly on offense. I think the offensive staff, and I was fortunate to work with those guys, they're about as good a group as I've ever been around. The players worked hard; it was a tough season last year. I have nothing but fond memories of San Francisco, and I'm looking forward to seeing the people more than anything.
(Your quarterback and offensive line were constantly changing last year in SF - do you think it's been steady here this year?)
Yeah, by far, last year the challenge as far as having players in and out, that was the most I'd ever gone through. I hope to never experience that again. I know there was a lot made here about number of starts missed by starters last year. If my numbers serve me correct, we (SF) were well over 100. It was the third time in the history of the league that a team had over 100 starts missed by starters. On top of that, we were also young. In hindsight, it was experience that you can draw from, and definitely have drawn from it some as we move through this season.
(Can you get anything out of Carlyle Holiday this Sunday?)
(We're) trying to get him ready. Very bright; Jimmy Robinson has been spending a lot of individual time with him. I've really liked what I've seen from him so far in practice. As far as the return part of it, he's down the line. I think we're okay there for this week. We're just trying to get him up to speed as far as his receiver responsibilities.
{sportsad300}(Would Jeff Jagodzinski make a good college coach, and have you heard from Boston College regarding Jeff and their opening?)
I have not heard from Boston College on the opening as far as Jeff's availability there. I definitely think Jeff would be an excellent candidate. There are common characteristics that I think are important in a head coach. You have to be able to communicate. He's a firm believer in whatever his plan is, and he's able to carry it out. I've seen him do that this year on offense. I think he'd be an excellent candidate for Boston College.
(Would he have interest in it?)
You're going to have to ask Jeff that.
(Would you hate to lose him?)
Would I hate to lose him? Absolutely. I am pro-career advancement. I know some people may not feel that way, and I'm not going to speak for others. I think that's part of being on a coaching staff, part of growing as a coaching staff. When people have an opportunity to move on to better things, I'm all for it. I've been blessed to work with people that have helped me along the way to put me in this position, and I'm hopeful I can do that some day for other coaches.
