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(On LB Pisa Tinoisamoa)
“What happened to Pisa, is that his elbow started to swell up yesterday. He’s go some kind of infection in his elbow. He came in this morning and it was very painful, and he was running a fever, so I think they will keep him in the hospital overnight to put IV’s in him. He should be fine, but we are just being very cautious with it.”
(On LB Robert Thomas)
“He’s got probably this week, then next week, then he should be alright (with his ankle injury). It’s a lower ankle sprain, which you can play through. It gives us a chance to get Trev (Faulk) in there, and Brandon Chillar, and they are doing a really good job. It’s valuable work. Trev has been out so long, he needs to get the work. He’s done a remarkable job.”
(On Seattle’s offense)
“You need to try to keep their linemen off our linebackers with the defensive front. It’s like putting your finger in a leak in the dam, it will spring somewhere else. All of a sudden (QB Matt Hasselbeck) is pulling the ball out of (RB Shaun) Alexander’s belly and throwing it down the field. That’s how they work.”
(On G Tom Nütten)
“He’s still a little bit gimpy with that toe, but if had to play, he’d be fine. And again, he’s in our goal-line offense. Scotty (Tercero) was back today, and he should be fine. Like Adam (Timmerman), (Tercero) probably had the best line I’ve ever heard about offensive linemen, ‘He’s an offensive lineman, it’s just a wrist.’ Body parts don’t matter to them, I guess.”
(On DE Bryce Fisher)
“There has been terrific competition at defensive end, and Bryce has won the job because he has played so well. He has made remarkable progress from just a year ago, coming from a completely different system. He’s very intelligent. He has the same kind of motor that Grant (Wistrom) has. He was such a big factor for us in the special teams, and now he has moved into a different arena. It’s like what Leonard Little did. He was a big special teams players, and now he’s become a starter on defense.”
(On DE Anthony Hargrove)
“Anthony needs to step forward. He wants to play, he’s just a little like a bull in a china closet. It’s just not enough to go hard and fast, you also need to know the blocking schemes and how to react. Which doesn’t happen in the matter of a few minutes. He’s learning. (Defensive line coach) Bill (Kollar) spots him in there in certain situations, and the more reps he gets in the game, the more comfortable he is with things.”
(On S Rich Coady)
“When you look back in 1999 and see he was a starter for half of the season, as a rookie, so obviously (starting) is not too big for him. He played so well (against San Francisco). I was so proud and excited for him, to have the opportunity and to take advantage of it. So many guys on this team have been able to do that, and that’s what makes you win. Obviously he was ready to play, which is a message to all of the other players. Just like QB Marc Bulger, who was the third quarterback, and all of a sudden by midseason he’s starting. Those guys, when they weren’t playing, they weren’t wasting time. Rich is that way, we’re fortunate to have him.”
(On everybody on the Rams roster being a potential starter)
“We look really hard at it. That’s they hardest thing to evaluate, especially with young players. So many times when you draft, or pick up a free agent, they are just trying to make the roster. You want to get rid of that mentality as quickly as you can. If you get guys that are just happy to be on the roster, then they need to get on someone else’s roster. We want guys that just don’t know enough yet, that’s their mindset. They’re going to learn as much as they can, and get themselves ready, and when their opportunity comes, they will be ready. A great example is RB Arlen Harris. He didn’t play in two years. Initially, a guy like Arlen would be content with just making the roster. Well, he started and helped us beat Pittsburgh. Those are the guys you are looking for. That’s the toughness, character, and ability we’re looking for.”
(On CB DeJuan Groce)
“He had an outstanding day today. He and J.B. (Jerametrius Butler) (Played well). (DeJuan) had a couple of really nice interceptions. He looked 100 percent to me. Last week, he wasn’t quite right. We wanted to play him, but it just wouldn’t have been right. In his mind he is healthy and ready to go 100 percent and that makes all the difference in the world. He’ll start for us.”
(On it being an advantage coming off of a bye week)
“I don’t know. It’s an interesting question, and everybody has different feelings about that. I like the bye week in the middle of the season because it gives everyone a chance to catch their breath, and if you have some injuries you would like to give some guys the ability to mend. If you’re on a roll sometimes people feel like it interrupts that, I don’t believe that. I’m kind of ambivalent about it to be honest with you. I don’t know what to tell you about it, I never really think much about it. Our bye is in the middle of the season, so I think when we get to it, everybody physically, will appreciate a little bit of a break. There’s so many factors involved, it’s not an easy question to answer. There’s so many things, everywhere from where the team is from an emotional standpoint, your preparation and how much you change what you’re going to do. You can take that time and over work it. My philosophy has always been, give them the week off. Get them away mentally as well as physically, and bring them back and be ready to go. A bye in the middle or late in the year gives your staff a chance to kind of recharge their batteries a little bit too.”
(On how hard it is for New England to be going for their 19 straight win)
“I think you’re talking about one of the best coaches to ever coach the game to begin with, in Bill Belichick. To be able to do what he’s accomplished, and put together what he’s put together is remarkable in today’s NFL, how things are done. I don’t know if people really appreciate what he’s been able to do to keep that team together. To have changes, and the injuries he’s had, they just keep finding a way to win. The best thing he’s done, as good as anybody in the league, is keeping his team as a team. They’re connected, and they really kind of disdain that superstar mentality, and I think it works well.”
(On Bill Belichick being fired early in his career by Cleveland)
“I don’t know, it’s a tough business I guess. I’m not familiar with any of that, but that happens so much in the NFL. Some guys struggle in one place, look at Mike Shanahan with the Raiders, and then he goes back to Denver and he’s terrific. Not everything is a fit. I’m really happy for him, he’s really a gentleman and a good guy. Really, he’s one of the guys you want to be happy for. He’s probably the best at during the game, feeling the pace of the game, and making good game-time decisions. When they have to make a play, offense or defense, they find a way to make a play, and that’s the difference.”
“What happened to Pisa, is that his elbow started to swell up yesterday. He’s go some kind of infection in his elbow. He came in this morning and it was very painful, and he was running a fever, so I think they will keep him in the hospital overnight to put IV’s in him. He should be fine, but we are just being very cautious with it.”
(On LB Robert Thomas)
“He’s got probably this week, then next week, then he should be alright (with his ankle injury). It’s a lower ankle sprain, which you can play through. It gives us a chance to get Trev (Faulk) in there, and Brandon Chillar, and they are doing a really good job. It’s valuable work. Trev has been out so long, he needs to get the work. He’s done a remarkable job.”
(On Seattle’s offense)
“You need to try to keep their linemen off our linebackers with the defensive front. It’s like putting your finger in a leak in the dam, it will spring somewhere else. All of a sudden (QB Matt Hasselbeck) is pulling the ball out of (RB Shaun) Alexander’s belly and throwing it down the field. That’s how they work.”
(On G Tom Nütten)
“He’s still a little bit gimpy with that toe, but if had to play, he’d be fine. And again, he’s in our goal-line offense. Scotty (Tercero) was back today, and he should be fine. Like Adam (Timmerman), (Tercero) probably had the best line I’ve ever heard about offensive linemen, ‘He’s an offensive lineman, it’s just a wrist.’ Body parts don’t matter to them, I guess.”
(On DE Bryce Fisher)
“There has been terrific competition at defensive end, and Bryce has won the job because he has played so well. He has made remarkable progress from just a year ago, coming from a completely different system. He’s very intelligent. He has the same kind of motor that Grant (Wistrom) has. He was such a big factor for us in the special teams, and now he has moved into a different arena. It’s like what Leonard Little did. He was a big special teams players, and now he’s become a starter on defense.”
(On DE Anthony Hargrove)
“Anthony needs to step forward. He wants to play, he’s just a little like a bull in a china closet. It’s just not enough to go hard and fast, you also need to know the blocking schemes and how to react. Which doesn’t happen in the matter of a few minutes. He’s learning. (Defensive line coach) Bill (Kollar) spots him in there in certain situations, and the more reps he gets in the game, the more comfortable he is with things.”
(On S Rich Coady)
“When you look back in 1999 and see he was a starter for half of the season, as a rookie, so obviously (starting) is not too big for him. He played so well (against San Francisco). I was so proud and excited for him, to have the opportunity and to take advantage of it. So many guys on this team have been able to do that, and that’s what makes you win. Obviously he was ready to play, which is a message to all of the other players. Just like QB Marc Bulger, who was the third quarterback, and all of a sudden by midseason he’s starting. Those guys, when they weren’t playing, they weren’t wasting time. Rich is that way, we’re fortunate to have him.”
(On everybody on the Rams roster being a potential starter)
“We look really hard at it. That’s they hardest thing to evaluate, especially with young players. So many times when you draft, or pick up a free agent, they are just trying to make the roster. You want to get rid of that mentality as quickly as you can. If you get guys that are just happy to be on the roster, then they need to get on someone else’s roster. We want guys that just don’t know enough yet, that’s their mindset. They’re going to learn as much as they can, and get themselves ready, and when their opportunity comes, they will be ready. A great example is RB Arlen Harris. He didn’t play in two years. Initially, a guy like Arlen would be content with just making the roster. Well, he started and helped us beat Pittsburgh. Those are the guys you are looking for. That’s the toughness, character, and ability we’re looking for.”
(On CB DeJuan Groce)
“He had an outstanding day today. He and J.B. (Jerametrius Butler) (Played well). (DeJuan) had a couple of really nice interceptions. He looked 100 percent to me. Last week, he wasn’t quite right. We wanted to play him, but it just wouldn’t have been right. In his mind he is healthy and ready to go 100 percent and that makes all the difference in the world. He’ll start for us.”
(On it being an advantage coming off of a bye week)
“I don’t know. It’s an interesting question, and everybody has different feelings about that. I like the bye week in the middle of the season because it gives everyone a chance to catch their breath, and if you have some injuries you would like to give some guys the ability to mend. If you’re on a roll sometimes people feel like it interrupts that, I don’t believe that. I’m kind of ambivalent about it to be honest with you. I don’t know what to tell you about it, I never really think much about it. Our bye is in the middle of the season, so I think when we get to it, everybody physically, will appreciate a little bit of a break. There’s so many factors involved, it’s not an easy question to answer. There’s so many things, everywhere from where the team is from an emotional standpoint, your preparation and how much you change what you’re going to do. You can take that time and over work it. My philosophy has always been, give them the week off. Get them away mentally as well as physically, and bring them back and be ready to go. A bye in the middle or late in the year gives your staff a chance to kind of recharge their batteries a little bit too.”
(On how hard it is for New England to be going for their 19 straight win)
“I think you’re talking about one of the best coaches to ever coach the game to begin with, in Bill Belichick. To be able to do what he’s accomplished, and put together what he’s put together is remarkable in today’s NFL, how things are done. I don’t know if people really appreciate what he’s been able to do to keep that team together. To have changes, and the injuries he’s had, they just keep finding a way to win. The best thing he’s done, as good as anybody in the league, is keeping his team as a team. They’re connected, and they really kind of disdain that superstar mentality, and I think it works well.”
(On Bill Belichick being fired early in his career by Cleveland)
“I don’t know, it’s a tough business I guess. I’m not familiar with any of that, but that happens so much in the NFL. Some guys struggle in one place, look at Mike Shanahan with the Raiders, and then he goes back to Denver and he’s terrific. Not everything is a fit. I’m really happy for him, he’s really a gentleman and a good guy. Really, he’s one of the guys you want to be happy for. He’s probably the best at during the game, feeling the pace of the game, and making good game-time decisions. When they have to make a play, offense or defense, they find a way to make a play, and that’s the difference.”