(How did B.J. respond from yesterday?)
B.J. was limited today. He feels better today than he did yesterday. It's going to be close. We're going to give him the next 55 hours to be ready. I think we have him as questionable, and he'll be a game-day decision. And I would put Will Blackmon in the same boat.
(Will did some cutting and running yesterday. Considering he did some things in practice today, did he feel pretty good after that workout?)
Definitely. He had a chance to take a couple of returns today, get taped back up and get back out there. Really, how they respond tomorrow will probably be the first step, and with it being a night game, we'll give them the extra day and a half to get ready.
(What's your comfort level with the right side of the offensive line, with Sitton and Barbre not having a lot of experience?)
I'm comfortable with the right side of our line. Our whole offensive line, it's a group now that's been together for at least two years. The tryouts are over and they've had three weeks to generate some continuity, and I feel like they're ready to go.
(Is Derrick Martin ready to play? Could you play him? Has he gotten enough work?)
Yes. I think so. I've been very impressed with what Derrick has done this week. I think he's definitely an individual on special teams that could make an impact. And learning the new language on defense, he's picked it up very fast. I know Darren Perry is impressed with how much he does know. Obviously there are similarities in the schemes of Baltimore and here, but just making the language change, he's done a good job.
(Do you think you'll use him on special teams?)
Yeah, potentially. He's competed for a spot this week.
(Injuries aside, are you pretty sure on your 45 for gameday or is that still an ongoing discussion?)
Well, I feel very good. Unfortunately, you have to put down eight players. We have three individuals that are in a medical situation. Two of them are going to be very close. I definitely feel we'll be ready to go at 45.
(Is the 45 tougher going through this the first time with the 3-4 defense?)
It's always hard to go from 53 to 45, especially when you're healthy. Some of the tougher things you deal with during the season is to tell somebody that they can't play on Sunday when they're ready to play and have earned the opportunity to play, but based off of game-planning or what you're trying to do from one position to another, to make sure you're covered, they can't play. That's always a tough thing to do on Sundays.
(How's the outlook for Nick Barnett after a full week of practice?)
Looks good and he's ready to go. Nick's going to go through what every player goes through this full year. Anytime you come back from a major surgery, the first week is a little different than the second week and so forth. He's going to have some bumps and bruises along the way, but he's ready to go.
(Would you have any reservations playing him a full game?)
He'll be playing. He'll be playing Sunday night.
(Who's the third quarterback right now?)
Well, we've got a couple options and we're just going to kind of keep that in-house right now. Because if we do get in that situation, it's probably in our best interests to do that.
(What's your comfort level with Mason Crosby? Are you concerned with the inconsistencies? You had to change holders in camp ...)
In fairness to Mason, and I'm not making excuses for Mason Crosby, but I think we created some of the issues that he's experienced, and we have fixed that in my view. The five holders in 23 football games, that's something that we've addressed with his ability to have one holder, Matt Flynn, from here on out. Jeremy now winning the punting competition, he'll be our backup holder. We have to give him the consistency that he needs. We've had some operation issues that have affected him. He's a very confident kicker. He's a dynamic young kicker. His leg strength has improved every year here, and I look for him to have a big year.
(Has Brett Goode been consistent the way you need him to be?)
Absolutely. I think Brett's been very consistent.
(With the Bears in this first game, how excited are the coaches and the team, with the new defense and everything?)
We're very excited for this opportunity. The first week is always a long week of preparation. This week is no different. You've been preparing your whole offseason for this football game. You've spent so much time on your opponent, and frankly, we've moved past our opponent. We're focused on ourselves. We're excited for the opportunity to be on Lambeau Field competing in front of a national audience and show the work we've done in the offseason, and ready to line up for our first opportunity.
