(What did you think about the team's performance in San Francisco?)
As a team I don't think we played very well. We can point fingers or try to guess, but I think it probably rests with ultimately my responsibility, and then the coaching staff and then the players. I think we're all involved in it. I just don't think we were prepared to play, and it wasn't because of any lack of urgency or anything like that, I just don't think we played very well. We didn't execute, we didn't block well enough, we didn't catch well enough, we didn't throw well enough, we didn't tackle well enough. We didn't do a lot of things well enough. But the beauty of the NFL is the train keeps going and now we have another game this week, in a tough place in Denver.
(How vital is it that this team gets it together this week?)Well, preseason is preseason. You want to perform well, I think you want to get some confidence going. But I think this team has a lot of confidence. I was at practice last night, as most of you were, and this is a pretty confident team. I don't think it's mandatory that we have to go out and dominate somebody in a game. I think we're going to continue along the path which we are, which is to play a lot of players and try to make sure we make the right personnel decisions at the end of it. Aside from that, if we're able to put together an efficient, both offense, defense, special teams game, I think that would be a bonus and a good thing.
(How much will this game factor into this first round of cuts?)
Everything factors. Everything that we've done up until now factors. This game will be a factor. Obviously it will be the freshest new factor, so maybe it might have a little disproportionate weight. If someone who has struggled and has been on the border and all of a sudden has a marvelous game, that's probably good enough. But you try to make decisions based on what is in both the short- and long-term best interests of the team.
(Will you cut right to 75 or will you go perhaps below that?)
It varies. I think we've done both. We'll get right to the number, and some years we've gone below. If we get to the point where we feel like a player, even though he's in the top 75, but wouldn't contribute in the final game, then sometimes we go ahead and do that. Cut days are the toughest days for all of us in this business, because you get attached to people and you have to tell them they can't make your team. It's a tough time.
(When Ron Wolf is here, do you pick his brain about things, like yesterday on the sidelines at practice?)
Oh sure. Sure. He's always been my mentor. I've always looked to him as someone that I can call and talk to, even if he's not here. But when he's here I think it's certainly more comfortable and we can talk a little more football. He can point out this guy or this guy. He's very generous in that regard.
(Any update on Justin Harrell's status?)
I don't have any updates other than he continues to improve, and our medical staff are encouraged. I don't have a timetable or anything like that.
(You watched the San Francisco game from the sidelines. Any reason for that?)
Yeah, I do that in the preseason. I did it a couple of times last year and I think a couple of times the year before. I don't think I'm going to do it anymore. I think maybe I brought bad luck to us or something. I enjoy that part. It's sort of the way I watch practice. I watch practice, but sometimes I'm not actually watching what is going on there as opposed to what is going on amongst players and stuff. I enjoy, first of all, being on the sideline. As a former player it's more comfortable because you realize, OK, this is just football. If you are up in the press box you are so removed from it that you concern yourself with things that really aren't there. But when you are down on the sideline you can see it. I like to watch the interaction among the players as they come on and off the field. I like to watch the emotions of our players, see who has the big eyes, and the ones that don't have the big eyes. I think you learn things from watching that, and I do that in practice as well. I got yelled at a few times though, so maybe I can go back.
{sportsad300}(What are your thoughts on the backup quarterbacks?)
I think our guys are doing OK. We like them. Often times I think a lot of focus is on some of the plays where they look like rookies and the people around them look like rookies, which is sometimes an aspect we don't consider. We're also playing with guys that are learning how to play. But I think myself and the coaching staff each have appreciated some of the good things they have done, the way they have managed the game at times, the way they have been able to kind of avoid adversity and kind of keep going. So we think they are doing OK.
(The offensive line is still in this rotation. Are you at all concerned it's not playing out the way you envisioned?)
No. It never plays out exactly the way you envision. I'm extraordinarily encouraged by our offensive line. I wish they were all out there at one time. Scott Wells kind of keeps having a little bugaboo, and I wish that wasn't happening, but I feel stronger about our ability to adjust and adapt. In terms of being able to trot your five guys out there, I think that's a perfect world scenario. It has not been the scenario that we have encountered here since I have been back here in 2005. I think we roll guys in. One week the left guard is out; we'll put a guy there and we'll move the center, we'll move the center over here. We do that all of the time. Both James Campen and Jerry Fontenot do a marvelous job of doing that during the course of practices, as you guys see during practice. They are always rolling guys in at different positions, and that's the way you have to play the game when you can only suit up 45. I think we have more quality depth. I think we have more talent in the offensive line than ever since I got back here, and I'm encouraged by it. I think the young guys are doing well. I think some of our sophomores and juniors are coming on fine. The key is to try to get them all out there, but we can play the game with a lot of different combinations. I think that is a good thing.
(Will the unit that starts Week 1 against Minnesota be better than the group that started the last game last season?)
I suspect so, because I think we are improving from within. Even the same guys that are out there are going to be better than they were this time last year.
(How do you judge Tory Humphrey when he hasn't been able to stay healthy?)
He's had some bad luck on the injury front. We still value him as a player that can help us. All of that has to be factored in as we get down to the final number, so that's one of the places where you might not have all of the answers. There will be several places where you're not going to a complete look during training camp, but it's because it wasn't possible because of injuries or whatever.
