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We are where I think you are all the time in training camp. You've got some bumps, some bruises, some pulls. We've been fortunate thus far to really get through pretty much unscathed. We look to have most guys available for Sunday evening. We'll play our starting group somewhere into the first quarter, maybe a little longer depending on matching their guys. We'll have Anthony (Wright) start the game (at QB). Doug (Johnson) and Erik (Meyer) also will play.
Q: Obviously, you have confidence in Anthony (Wright). He seems to be progressing well:ML:
He seems to have a feel for the game that we're looking for, and an understanding of what we're doing. He's got to go play, though. He's got to get experience playing within our system.
Q: Is there any concern with Anthony's shoulder?ML:
No. It's actually his bicep, and he's been dealing with it all camp. He ices it every day.
Q: The injury of Bobbie Williams has given Stacy Andrews a little more time in the number one unit. He's gone from being a project to a real promise. Where is his development?ML:
Stacy has really done well. And he continues to handle everything he's given. He did a fine job last year in the preseason for us, in replacing Willie (Anderson). He stepped in now in playing guard, and so he is doing what a guy that's a backup lineman in the NFL is doing. He knows how to play a couple of spots now and we're real comfortable with him.
ML:Have you decided if Bobbie's going to play this weekend?
ML:
We'll wait and see.
Q: Obviously, you want these guys to play hard and smart when the lights come on:ML:
You want to do things the way we do them, take care of the football. We want to make sure we keep the ball off the ground in every area. We want to make sure we eliminate the pre-snap penalties, make sure we don't have assignment errors and tackle well on defense. And they have to play aggressively. We don't want to let scheme get in the way of playing football.
Q: Seems this camp is different than others in regard to DBs making plays on the ball:ML:
I don't think it's been any different this camp than the camp before that and the camp before that. I think we have some guys that are talented back there, and they're able to play the football in the air, and it's quite a challenge every day against the guys they go against.
Q: How hard is it going to be to cut some of the receivers? You have a good group there:ML:
It's always difficult to cut people. But unfortunately, it's a part of this game. And if guys are good enough, they'll have an opportunity somewhere else. That's the best part and the exciting part of the NFL. If it's not quite right for you here, and you're doing things the right way, and people see the tape, you get a chance to catch your luck somewhere else. But we'll have that in a number of positions, and unfortunately it's a tough part of this business.
Q: Is there a chance you can run down the guys who won't play Sunday?ML:
This list may grow, but right now I can tell you these guys won't play: Carson Palmer, Naufahu Tahi, Hannibal Navies, Antonio Chatman and David Pollack. That doesn't include the guys on PUP, which are Chris Perry, Jonathan Fanene, Adam Kieft and Sam Adams.
Q: Can you say if Sam Adams or Chris Perry would be able to play next weekend?ML:
You're talking about two guys, and so I'll just let it go there. They're on PUP and they're two different guys. They're not in the same bunch. They're all different people.
Q: Statistics are showing that the last 10 Super Bowl winners have had roughly a .700 winning percentage in the preseason. The last time that this team had a winning preseason was '88 when you won the Super Bowl. Does winning in the preseason matter to you?ML:
I like winning all the time, but Indianapolis won a lot of games last year, and they didn't win one in preseason, did they? And I think you ask me this question every year, so I'm glad that percentage is staying the same. At some point, no one had ever won the Super Bowl the sixth seed. (But Pittsburgh did it last year). So I think all those things are ... that's why they're stats, because you just get a chance to break them and do it.
You want to be successful all the time, anytime you go out there. And so the guys are on the field and play their tails off while they're in the game, and play as hard as they can as long as they're in there, until their coach pulls them out. Then we move on with the next person we need to look at.
Q: Has Anthony Wright shown you anything in this camp that you hadn't seen before?ML:
Well, you never know about a person until you observe them. Obviously, we played or coached against Anthony. But now we get an opportunity to get to know a guy more, and see him interact with his teammates and that's a good thing. Particularly when you play that position. I think he's been every bit of what we expected, and he'll give us an opportunity to do good things if he starts out playing quarterback at any time this season.
