(Are you more optimistic you'll have Jeremy on Sunday now?)
Jeremy Thompson? I don't know. I'll have more information tomorrow to better answer that question. It's pretty much what I said yesterday. It's going to be a challenge for him to be ready this week.
(What's the impact of having a different rotation at that right end spot?)
We do roll our linemen, and I understand what you're saying at that specific position, but it's a part of our game. Jeremy has done an excellent job really, improving each week. He was really coming on strong. It's just another opportunity for Jason Hunter and the other guys to get more work.
(Looked like Aaron did the individual drills today too. Have you normally been holding him back in those?)
Yeah, he took everything today. I thought that was definitely a good sign, and hopefully that's where we are the rest of the season.
(Are you hopeful tomorrow will be that way too?)
Friday morning is a big check day with Dr. McKenzie and the medical staff, so we'll answer that in the morning. But the plan on Wednesday was to try to get through the whole week.
(Has he generally gotten better over the weeks?)
I would think so. His practice reps have increased over the last four weeks.
(How far along is Bigby to getting back to himself?)
I think you've definitely seen improvement from Tennessee to last week in Minnesota. He's running better. Is he 100 percent? Who's 100 percent this time of year? But he's played well the last two weeks and I'm sure he's getting better and better each week.
(Do you still want to get Rouse in if you can?)
Aaron gets a lot of work at practice, and you don't blink to have him in there during the games. Those are good problems, or good situations to have. And Charlie's done a nice job too with his opportunities, Charlie Peprah.
(Can Pettway help at all at right end too?)
Pettway has definitely been getting a lot more work there, and I know the coaches are getting a lot more comfortable with him and his ability to attack the edge and so forth and just understanding our scheme. He's improved each week. He's done a very nice job of jumping in on special teams, and I see him doing the same thing as far as the work on the defensive line.
(Do you anticipate any more problems with Chillar?)
Just go by the feedback that he gives me. I haven't talked to him after today's practice, but he took the full practice, so we're working our way through that. I hope not.
(What happened there? He came to the team snack on Saturday night and said it was really bothering him?)
It was bothering him, and he had a conversation with Dr. McKenzie. They talked Saturday and then talked again Sunday morning, so we evaluated him Sunday morning, and I just didn't want to take the chance. I'm putting down a healthy inactive list, and that's clearly what the decision was made on. If there was any question if he was able to make it through the game, I didn't want to take that chance. It was once again a 10 a.m., 10:30 type decision we had two weeks in a row. But when you're putting the type of players that I feel that we have on our inactive list, I'm not going to take that chance medically.
(What does that injury stem from?)
He's had a history, he's had an injury with that shoulder before.
(When you've had an injury on the O-line, you've always talked about getting the best five out there. Is that what you're doing at linebacker now, getting the best three in there, as opposed to just plugging Desmond in?)
I think it's a combination of both. I think it's the ability to get your best players on the field but in our game, it's the best players on the field for the situation you feel you're playing in. That's really how the game planning starts every week, as far as which defensive personnel group, what they're doing on offense, particularly in their personnel groups, down and distance and so forth. Really that's the focus of that linebacker group, but also, you look at the offensive line, you make one change, three guys move. You really want to try to stay away from that also, and that was part of our mindset when we made the decision on who gets what reps at the linebacking spots.
(Who gets the other helmet radio?)
That's a good question. Actually I haven't talked about that with Bob. I would probably say maybe Desmond or one of the linebackers. Nick Collins has done it. It could be A.J. and Nick. We haven't made that determination. We do that in the Friday management meeting.
