Head Coach Mike Martz
Friday, July 30, 2004
(On the increased spirit and contact of this morning’s practice)
“Yeah, that’s what this game’s about, a lot of contact. Especially for the young players, they have to learn the speed and collision part of this game and for the guys that have been around awhile we keep them protected from those environments. Still, in those nine-on-seven periods it is time to get things rolling pretty well. It’s an attitude and we feel like we’ve answered some personnel questions and now it’s time to get them in the right spot and get them physical.”
(On live, contact session)
“We’ve done it the last few years. When you have young lineman on both sides of the ball and a rookie linebacker and a new fullback you want to see how well they compete. The adrenaline is flowing, the butterflies are there, and you know everyone is watching. I think it’s very healthy and you get to see how guys respond.”
(On RB Lamar Gordon’s improvement)
“I think he’s done a good job. So far in the last five practices it would appear that he’s a little bit better with each practice. He still has a way to go and he’s making the right progress. He’s taken on the new challenge.”
(On keeping Gordon healthy)
“You can’t worry about that. I know what you’re saying, but you can’t go into practice or a game worrying about a guy’s health. You just go into practice and play him and whatever happens happens. The warm can turn so to speak. We’ll see what happens.”
(On the importance of veteran players)
“I think they know how to respond in so many different situations, particularly as the season gets going. When thing are a little difficult with practices out here and being tired, they know how to respond. They know how to respond. They’ve been here before. The encouragement from those guys that we’re going the right direction is always healthy.”
(On QB
Marc Bulger)
“I’m very pleased with Marc, very pleased. He’s been consistently very good.”
(On the lack of quarterback controversy regarding Bulger)
“You’ll have to ask him. I know that he has markedly improved from a year ago in terms of the speed of seeing things and getting the ball to the right guy. There’s no hesitation, everything’s accurate, and he’s running the team. It’s all been good.
(On G Ryan Schau’s early departure from practice)
“His back just cramped up on him. That’s all. A lot of times these guys are not ready for football condition. They’re in weight room condition, but not in football shape yet.”
(On RB Joey Goodspeed)
“He might be the best fullback we’ve had. I’m very confident about that. I’m very very high on Joey. He’s not going to ever come out here and practice poorly or have a bad day or make mental mistakes. He’s smart and physical. He’s a pro. He’s what you want all your guys to be. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
(On Goodspeed improving through the offseason)
“It’s just like Marc (Bulger). When a guy has all that time to prepare and he knows he’s a starter and has time to focus, all those are good things. Watching him over summer in the weight room, he’s incredibly strong. As big and strong as he was, he’s really continued to develop. It’s going to help him throughout the season. Also, he’s one of our top two or three teams players.”
(On QB Russ Michna)
“Russ has been a very pleasant surprise for us. Normally, the fourth quarterback in camp has about a one in a thousand chance of making the roster. From what we’ve seen of him, I would be surprised if he’s not on our roster in some capacity this season. I’m very pleased with him. He’s a talented young man. We’re going to give him a little bit of an opportunity. He’s smart, accurate, live arm, grasps what we do to some extent, has some composure, and is very competitive. For the things that we grade quarterbacks in he has some pretty good marks.”
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