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As I said the other day, we're in pretty good shape physically. The two guys who didn't practice today were T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Deltha O'Neal. Everybody else worked, so those guys will work tomorrow. Otherwise, we're in pretty good shape."
Q: How about Willie Anderson?ML:
Limited practice today.
Q: Is Chris Perry just not ready to play?ML:
In our estimation right now, it's just not the best thing for him and us.
Q: Is the whole goal to get him ready for next season?ML:
Well, the whole goal is you don't want to put a player out there on the field that you don't feel like is going to be able to do things day-in and day-out like an NFL player. Chris has worked hard. With where we are in the season, and where he is physically -- he's very close -- maybe if you had the luxury of doing that, you would. But you don't want to put Chris in that situation.
Q: Are you concerned about the possible field conditions in Pittsburgh?ML:
Guys just have to be conscious of it. We spoke about it. I don't want it to be the overriding factor. Both teams are going to play on the same 100 yards, and we just have to respond to that and go.
Q: Can you comment on your message to team about the passing of Sean Taylor?ML:
No, I shouldn't. that's personal to our guys, what I said.
Q: Can you comment on the passing of Bill Willis?ML:
Obviously, I've gotten to know Bill Willis over the last five years. He meant quite a bit to the Brown family, Ohio State and the Cleveland Browns. He left a great legacy, meaning a lot to the NFL as an African-American player. He's a tremendous man who gave everything he could to this game. He was just always giving. Whatever he could to help the organization, he was there to help. And so it's a sad day.
Q: Was it a thrill for you to meet him?ML:
Yeah, it was. It was great to obviously meet him. You see the footage and some of the dynamic things he did as a player, so that was great.
Q: Do you ever wonder about the things he faced as one of the first African-Americans to break the color barrier?ML:
Words aren't going to give justice for me to understand what he faced. There's not words that I could put to it, I don't think.
Q: Do you think that having a chance to watch the Jets and Dolphins play against Ben Roethlisberger, and be successful, will help you?ML:
They (Jets and Dolphins) didn't do anything different than anybody else has ever done. Guys have been able to make some plays and get him on the ground at times, and he's also run at times. It's nothing different than what Cleveland did, and the team before that and the team before that. As I told you before, he's dangerous when he's on the move. He's a big man. He's able to avoid tacklers at times. You've got to do a good job of not allowing that to happen and when it does, guys in coverage have to stay in coverage.
Q: It seems like the Steelers defense always steps up:ML:
They play very well. We play against them, obviously, a couple times a year, and we get excited about playing them.
Q: Does familiarity help?ML:
Oh, I think it always does. When you play teams in your division, you're always comfortable playing them.
Q: Why have you had success going up there?ML:
I don't know. Again, I think your success on Sunday comes down to preparation and execution, whether it's here or there. That's what's important. We can't get this one back here. So we've got to go get one up there.
Q: Fast Willie Parker really gets it done:ML:
He's been a good, productive back.
Q: Concerned about Rudi Johnson's hamstring in the mud?ML:
No.
Q: Do you think Rudi is 100 percent?ML:
That's what everybody wrote on Sunday for Monday. So I'm not going to change today.
Q: After a big win on Sunday, is there a little more jump in their step?ML:
No, I think they're good the same way, regardless. As I said, the short-term memory of a play is very short-term. They move on a lot quicker than everybody else. They're always on to the task at hand. And I think that's important.
Q: Does (equipment manager) Rob Recker have to bring another suitcase full of shoes?ML:
You don't have to test it. You know what it's going to be. It's not going to change from what you saw on Monday night. If it rains again, as it's supposed to, it's going to be what you saw on Monday night. It's not going to change.
Q: Will they have longer moldings on the bottom of the shoes?ML:
Guys will be in the proper shoes and ready to go.
