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Not really. Today and most of yesterday, we just focused on Seattle. The way the league is, you have 16 quick games that come right after each other, and you have to forget about the last week whether it's a big win or a big loss. We're over it. We've learned our lessons from it. On Monday we had the chance to think about it in the morning, afternoon, and night. Tuesday, for me, was dedicated to Seattle. I'm getting ready for them. We're well beyond the Browns. We'll think about them again in December.
Q: Seattle's defense isn't composed of the biggest guys in the world, but they seem to fly around the field pretty well. Is that accurate?CP:
Very accurate. Very fast. They play a lot different at home too. It's pretty drastic. You can see it. The amount of energy they play with when they're at home, you can tell it's a wild environment and an intense environment. It's just a lot of speed. Julian Peterson is as good a linebacker as there is in the league. He's fast. Lofa Tatupu is a phenomenal player. He plays that scheme very well. He understands the Tampa 2 concepts. He knows when to drop, when to settle. So it's just a very well-rounded defense.
There's not a weakness. Both the corners can play. One safety we have a ton of respect for, who used to play in Cleveland, is Brian Russell. We've admired him since he was in Cleveland, and then he went to Seattle. Deon Grant, a Pro Bowler, has been in the league for a little while and makes a lot of plays. Their defensive line is very fast and aggressive. Not real, real big, like the guys in Cleveland or Baltimore, but real good guys. It's just a very solid, well-rounded defense.
Q: Why is it so tough to win on the West Coast?CP:
I haven't played out there yet. The farthest West I've been is Denver, I guess. I know we're going out a day early. We're getting out there Friday night so we can get adjusted to the time change. It's a long flight, and you're in a different hotel for a couple of nights, but other than that it's just football. You still have to show up and play. I'm not sure there's a specific answer to that.
Q: They say Seattle has one of the loudest stadiums in the league. How do you deal with the crowd noise?CP:
You can't worry about it. You can't think about it. You have to be loud with your protection adjustments. You have to be loud and have 100% in the communication area. It's just something you have to deal with. You deal with it eight times per year. We play in some pretty difficult places to play. From what we've heard, it's even louder than some of the places we've been, but you can't let it rattle you or affect the way you play. You still have to go out there and do what you have to do. Just make sure you're good in the communication area and that everyone is on the same page. The next step is to make big plays and quiet them down.
Q: Do you think anything has to be done from a team aspect to get the wheels back on?CP:
We have to prepare like we do every week. We have to practice extremely hard. We have to understand the schemes in the game plan and understand the schemes we'll be seeing defensively. It's a regular work week. You have to get here early and show up, and have nothing on your mind other than football. Avoid all of the distractions outside of the facility and prepare as intensely as you can. That's what we have to do and that's what we do.
Q: Are you preparing with crowd noise?CP:
Yes.
Q: Did the team talk with each other without coaches about after the Cleveland game on Sunday, or does everybody know what's going on?CP:
I think everybody on this team understands. You lose as a team, you win as a team. Whether you score so-and-so amount of points or you don't score at all, you win as a team, you lose as a team. Nothing needs to be said. The guys understand that. We had breakdowns on offense, we had breakdowns on defense, we had breakdowns on special teams. We addressed those areas and from what I can tell, everybody's taken them to heart, realized where they made mistakes. We realize we made our mistakes on offense, and defense did the same, and correct those mistakes and get ready for Seattle.
Q: With a 7-0 lead, you wanted to go for the jugular, which is (Bob) Bratkowski's aggressive style. Is there anything as an offense that you can do to protect the defense?CP:
Oh, definitely. Longer drives. Less three-and-outs, less turnovers, give your defense a chance to rest. That's what you've got to do.
Q: Have Chad Johnson's performances over the last two games been about as well as you've see him play?CP:
I think he has played very well, but he has played very well here for a long time. I don't think he has done anything different or acted any different. He has been making plays for five years since I've been here.
Q: Your receiving corps has some injuries and you're a little thin there. Glenn Holt has expanded his role, and Antonio Chatman is back in the mix. How does it feel to you in terms of timing with those guys?CP:
Great. Antonio and I worked all July, and we've been working while he's been injured, on Mondays and sometimes Fridays. I feel great with Antonio. He's so precise with his routes as it is. And then Glenn Holt. Glenn Holt and I have been working since training camp. He got a little bit of an injury during training camp, but he got healthy and got back on the field. And I feel very in rhythm with him, and it shows. He's exactly where he needs to be all the time. He understands route concepts. He understands the timing of the routes when he gets redirected off the line of scrimmage or pressed. So he's done a great job. If Tab's ready to roll or not, those guys are going to step in and fill his shoes and do what's expected of them.
Q: How different has it been with running the four-WR sets last year and having to drop that because of the injuries?CP:
It limits some of the things you can do in the four-wide sets, but then you go back and some of the two-receiver, two-back sets that we run, we can do more in that area. So you lose some things, but you gain some things. There's tradeoffs both ways. From the time I got here, all I remember is being in two backs and pounding the ball down people's throats and being physical. So we like doing that. We like bringing Jeremi Johnson in the backfield in front of Rudi and bringing Reggie, who's the best tight end blocker in the game, and getting physical and getting aggressive. If we get down to our two wide-receiver sets because of injuries, we're more confident in that area than we were in the four wide receiver sets just because we love letting our big guys get on people and push people around and wear them out a little bit.
