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They run the 4-3 scheme, which we saw last week in Houston. We haven't seen a ton of that this year, with all the 3-4 teams we play, especially in our division. Very physical. I think that's just kind of what their team is, offensively and defensively. So it's going to be a tough game for us in terms of being physical up front, knocking them back and getting the ball going a little bit in the run game. They're very good. They're just a solid team all around. We have to take advantage of our possessions and score points. Hopefully this week, score some touchdowns in the red zone, rather than the field goals and the mistakes.
Q: With the bye week coming up, is there a sense you really want this one to avoid going into the bye at 0-9?RF:
Yeah, it definitely would be nice, when we get those days off for our bye week, to be able to sit there and think we won our last game. Always going into a bye, you want to leave with a good taste in your mouth. So just in general, a win is going to be great for us. It's desperately needed. Everybody's still in high spirits, I guess as high as you could be for being 0-fer right now. We want to go out there and play hard and win.
Q: Do you still get that sense that everybody is playing hard?RF:
Yeah, I do. There's nothing we want more than a win right now. This is going to be a good challenge for us, because they're a good team and because of how physical they are. We'll see how this week of practice goes, but I expect it to be no different than the previous weeks, which was us going out there and busting our tails and working to get a victory.
Q: A guy who was in your spot, Boomer Esiason, said you guys have quit. What do you think about that?RF:
I think from the outside looking in, you look at our last few games and the margin for the score at the end of the game, and they haven't been close. Unfortunately we got outplayed, especially in the second half. So from the outside looking in, I think that's something that somebody could observe. But I'm telling you: I'm in here every day working with these guys, and there's no quit. We're fighting. We want a win as bad as anybody does. We're not going to lay down; we're going to continue to work hard and fight.
Q: Is this a situation, where if you took yourself out of the equation, you would be surprised how well the team is taking it?RF:
I think so. You don't ever want to be comfortable with losing, you don't ever want to be satisfied with losing. But at the same time, you need to show resiliency, you need to make sure that day in and day out, you are being a true professional and playing and earning your paycheck. I think that especially for how young this locker room is, the guys are doing a great job with that.
Q: Have you noticed any changes in Marvin?RF:
That's always kind of the guy that he's been, a guy that likes to hang out with the players, that we know well, that will say hi to you in the hallway, keep your spirits up. So I don't think he's changed at all, and I don't think he's going to change. That's who he is. He has the respect of this team. He's fighting just as we are. We're all in this together, and we want to go out there and win.
Q: Carson hasn't ruled out playing again this season. Do the guys in the locker room respect someone like that?RF:
That's just the type of guy that Carson is. If you've ever been around him, you know that, and the guys on the team know that. They respect him like crazy. For a guy to break his nose and continue playing in a preseason game ... he doesn't want to miss any snaps. It doesn't matter what the record is. He wants to go out there and fight with his teammates. That certainly says a lot about him. He is the leader of this team. And it's unfortunate that he's hurt right now, but he's still acting as the leader of this team.
Q: Now that somebody might recognize you in public because you're a starter, has it been difficult to go out in public and hear what people say?RF:
I think some of it's probably welcome. I try to stay away from it as much as possible, in terms of getting on the Internet or reading the paper. But there's some stuff you're not going to be able to avoid. It comes with playing the position. So I take it, I listen to it or I don't listen to it, and I move on. I can only control myself and how I play, and I'm trying to improve every week, and I think I've gotten better as this process has gone on. But I need to continue to get better and better in order for the team to get some victories.
Q: You talked earlier about Marvin the last couple of weeks, and when you see what (Jack) Del Rio did after his team lost to the Browns and what Mike Singletary did in San Francisco, has Marvin gotten angrier?RF:
I think it's a week-by-week thing. There are particular weeks, especially the last two, where we really haven't played well or put a ton of fight in the second half, at least with what the score indicated. So there are times where the yelling and that kind of stuff is necessary. I think he does a real good job of knowing what the team's emotions are and at the same time getting his point across however it's going to come across best, whether it be yelling, whether it be just talking to guys, sitting down with guys. I think what makes him a good head coach is knowing how to approach situations like that.
Q: Has he yelled at the players?RF:
Yeah, he has. I don't know if there's a head coach in the NFL that hasn't yelled this year at some point, but he certainly has. For us being 0-fer like we are right now, there have been plenty of times for him to yell. But like I said, I think he does a good job of approaching the situation and handling it like it needs to be handled and maintaining the respect of his players.
Q: At this point you would think the team would have imploded:RF:
Yeah, it hasn't at all. I keep getting phone calls with people asking me about it, and really I keep saying it: We haven't won a game yet, but the locker room is actually in high spirits in terms of the work ethic and being excited to come to work every day, and that hasn't died off at all. I would say that it was certainly more volatile last year in the locker room at this point of the year than it is now.
Q: Is that because leadership has changed, people are more mature, for what?RF:
I think there are particular players that are a year older, more mature. There's a lot of different things. But I just think that part of it is the group that we have in the locker room this year and the way that the guys have kind of molded together.
