Skinny
12-26-2007, 04:07 PM
I hope everybody had a good Christmas, a little downtime. A couple of things here, just in terms of injuries, most of those guys are going to try to participate today. I will have some kind of listing for you afterwards but there is a big push for everybody that we talked about after the game to try to get up for this game. So in terms of practice, I am not ruling anybody out here. I will let you know afterwards how everybody makes it through and what part they end up playing. I just think it's important for us at this point to pour all of our energies into the Denver Broncos and forget the what-if game. For us it's down to one game; all we can do is control what we can do. We have got nothing to do with the Dallas-Washington game, nor can we worry about that. We need to worry about the Denver Broncos. It's a multiple defense, and (they) have a young quarterback who has got a strong arm. They have got a bunch of different running backs that they factor in there and they have got explosive wide receivers so we need to prepare for this just like the approach that we have taken and they have done a good job of taking it one game at a time. The best thing that can happen is we play ourselves in; the worst thing that can happen obviously is that we are out but we are not going to have any regrets about this game and how we prepare and how we focus on this thing. Going to Mile High is a difficult place to go. (We) can't control the altitude, can't control the crowd, the weather, anything. All we can do is prepare for the Denver Broncos and their best shot. I am sure Mike (Shanahan) has reiterated to them that this is their last time to get on tape this year. We talked about just enjoying the process with these guys that are in the room. It's a good bunch of guys in the room that come back with their minds right. They don't get mentally ill over a loss and I expect their best shot and we expect to give them our best shot.
Q: Is there any tangible way to deal with the altitude? Can you go out there a day early or is there anything diet-wise to help with the change?
A: No, really people will tell you it takes two weeks for your system to acclimate to altitude so a day early doesn't have anything to do with anything. What altitude does do is that it does dehydrate you and I am ongoing about that. You take a long plane flight; you are at altitude. Even though you don't sweat, that dry air is a factor. You stay in a hotel; that is dry air. Our guys are well aware of what it takes to go out there and play. There is not really anything?I talked to Dr. (Sheldon) Burns, who has been through a myriad of Olympics. If you feel like oxygen helps you on the sideline, great, have some oxygen on the sideline. But the fact is it is a mile above sea level and just like when I was in Flagstaff we would try to remind everybody with the signs everywhere what the elevation was.
Q: Do you think there is a psychological component that goes with that?
A: There is based on the numbers, you know Flag being seven-thousand some feet and this being 5,280 if I remember that correctly.
Q: When you met with the players today, did you get a sense that there was any kind of lingering effect from the loss on Sunday?
A: No, I don't see that. Wednesdays are Wednesdays with that being a late Sunday night game and us having a holiday in there and two days off. Probably just a little slow here in the walk-thru just from that standpoint but we will pick it up and have a good practice this afternoon.
Q: You talked about after the game about taking a look at how much you run and how much you pass and as it relates to the opposing defense's scheme. What goes into that? Is it as simple as saying we need to throw more or what goes into the process of determining what your ratio should be?
A: Just generally how they are going to deploy their personnel. Are they a sellout to the run type of outfit where they are just begging you or daring you to throw the football up the field? Some of them we can account for that eighth guy with an extra wide receiver or maybe the eighth guy is on the back side but it usually has to do with how they are playing defense. Then just because they are playing defense one way in the weeks previous doesn't mean they are going to play defense?there are no articles of war as they say all the time. They can play 11 on the line of scrimmage if they want to.
Q: And that is kind of what you have dealt with recently? Some of the things these teams have done lately are things that you haven't seen a lot on film.
A: Well, and I think that any time they try to force you to be one-dimensional; I am mindful of the time we went out to Denver a couple of years ago (with the Eagles) and John Lynch said that 'Jeez, we really didn't have to force them to be one-dimensional; they already were. All they did was throw it.' So they really paid no attention to the run and simply rallied to the run and played everything in the pass game. So you don't want that to be the case and you want to make sure that you are not allowing that to be the case.
Q: Do you expect to see the same type of thing that you have seen the last few weeks from Denver as well?
A: Yeah, I mean everybody has little bit different scheme of defense and how they incorporate that extra guy. John Lynch has been a very good box player if you will, around the line of scrimmage player throughout his whole career so I don't have any illusions. I doubt whether we're going to see him in deep center field all day long.
Q: What do you see out of Jay Cutler when you look at him and compare his progress to Tarvaris Jackson and where they are at in his point of their careers?
A: You know I would probably stay away from the comparisons between the two of them. I see a strong-armed quarterback obviously that was able to play in games last year as well as this year. He is learning that system; he is still pretty much in his infancy but he has got a decent swagger about him and looks like a pretty good leader but you always go back to the arm strength thing and he does have an overpowering arm.
Q: Do you see him differently this year versus things that he did last year because of his maturation process?
A: I see some things differently, yeah. I see some things differently. Just the familiarity that he has with the system, being able to get in and out of the huddle and be able to orchestrate that thing. I think personnel always changes around people every year. They have had a couple injuries in their offensive line where things haven't been quite as fluid as I'm sure they would have liked to have it be.
Q: How would you evaluate the pass-rushing job your defensive ends have done this year and is that something you have to get better at going forward?
A: You know what, I would just probably hold off until the end of the year until I evaluate. I am not going to do a 15-game evaluation on the defensive ends. I think we do a decent job of putting pressure on the quarterback, and it's spread around by scheme, it's spread around by position grouping, so I'll probably hold off until the end of the year on that.
Q: With the importance of this game and a few guys being injured but on their way back, would you look at playing some of those guys in a part-time role? In other words a guy like Antoine Winfield is a starter but maybe isn't healthy enough to start.
A: The thing that we always kind of stand by is, is a guy going to be able to defend himself? Antoine wanted to play last week and we kind of held him back. But he has made very good progress and by his own admission he talks about having six months to get healthy. You just appreciate that push from all of those guys that were laying there yesterday on Christmas Day hooked up to all the different units trying to get well, trying to get to today's practice and in the long run get to Sunday's game.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about Brandon Marshall?
A: Big, explosive, fast, good hand-eye. He can stop and start; he is not just a long-stride guy. He knows how to wiggle himself open. He is a very good competitor in jump-ball situations and so they are trying to find ways to get him the football, not just on fly routes or go routes. He has some pretty good catch-and-run ability and he is a handful with the size he is to be able to bring down.
Q: Is he similar to Sidney Rice?
A: Again, I would say a little bit different. I think that probably he is a bigger kid than Sidney is physically.
The End ...
http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=491091
Q: Is there any tangible way to deal with the altitude? Can you go out there a day early or is there anything diet-wise to help with the change?
A: No, really people will tell you it takes two weeks for your system to acclimate to altitude so a day early doesn't have anything to do with anything. What altitude does do is that it does dehydrate you and I am ongoing about that. You take a long plane flight; you are at altitude. Even though you don't sweat, that dry air is a factor. You stay in a hotel; that is dry air. Our guys are well aware of what it takes to go out there and play. There is not really anything?I talked to Dr. (Sheldon) Burns, who has been through a myriad of Olympics. If you feel like oxygen helps you on the sideline, great, have some oxygen on the sideline. But the fact is it is a mile above sea level and just like when I was in Flagstaff we would try to remind everybody with the signs everywhere what the elevation was.
Q: Do you think there is a psychological component that goes with that?
A: There is based on the numbers, you know Flag being seven-thousand some feet and this being 5,280 if I remember that correctly.
Q: When you met with the players today, did you get a sense that there was any kind of lingering effect from the loss on Sunday?
A: No, I don't see that. Wednesdays are Wednesdays with that being a late Sunday night game and us having a holiday in there and two days off. Probably just a little slow here in the walk-thru just from that standpoint but we will pick it up and have a good practice this afternoon.
Q: You talked about after the game about taking a look at how much you run and how much you pass and as it relates to the opposing defense's scheme. What goes into that? Is it as simple as saying we need to throw more or what goes into the process of determining what your ratio should be?
A: Just generally how they are going to deploy their personnel. Are they a sellout to the run type of outfit where they are just begging you or daring you to throw the football up the field? Some of them we can account for that eighth guy with an extra wide receiver or maybe the eighth guy is on the back side but it usually has to do with how they are playing defense. Then just because they are playing defense one way in the weeks previous doesn't mean they are going to play defense?there are no articles of war as they say all the time. They can play 11 on the line of scrimmage if they want to.
Q: And that is kind of what you have dealt with recently? Some of the things these teams have done lately are things that you haven't seen a lot on film.
A: Well, and I think that any time they try to force you to be one-dimensional; I am mindful of the time we went out to Denver a couple of years ago (with the Eagles) and John Lynch said that 'Jeez, we really didn't have to force them to be one-dimensional; they already were. All they did was throw it.' So they really paid no attention to the run and simply rallied to the run and played everything in the pass game. So you don't want that to be the case and you want to make sure that you are not allowing that to be the case.
Q: Do you expect to see the same type of thing that you have seen the last few weeks from Denver as well?
A: Yeah, I mean everybody has little bit different scheme of defense and how they incorporate that extra guy. John Lynch has been a very good box player if you will, around the line of scrimmage player throughout his whole career so I don't have any illusions. I doubt whether we're going to see him in deep center field all day long.
Q: What do you see out of Jay Cutler when you look at him and compare his progress to Tarvaris Jackson and where they are at in his point of their careers?
A: You know I would probably stay away from the comparisons between the two of them. I see a strong-armed quarterback obviously that was able to play in games last year as well as this year. He is learning that system; he is still pretty much in his infancy but he has got a decent swagger about him and looks like a pretty good leader but you always go back to the arm strength thing and he does have an overpowering arm.
Q: Do you see him differently this year versus things that he did last year because of his maturation process?
A: I see some things differently, yeah. I see some things differently. Just the familiarity that he has with the system, being able to get in and out of the huddle and be able to orchestrate that thing. I think personnel always changes around people every year. They have had a couple injuries in their offensive line where things haven't been quite as fluid as I'm sure they would have liked to have it be.
Q: How would you evaluate the pass-rushing job your defensive ends have done this year and is that something you have to get better at going forward?
A: You know what, I would just probably hold off until the end of the year until I evaluate. I am not going to do a 15-game evaluation on the defensive ends. I think we do a decent job of putting pressure on the quarterback, and it's spread around by scheme, it's spread around by position grouping, so I'll probably hold off until the end of the year on that.
Q: With the importance of this game and a few guys being injured but on their way back, would you look at playing some of those guys in a part-time role? In other words a guy like Antoine Winfield is a starter but maybe isn't healthy enough to start.
A: The thing that we always kind of stand by is, is a guy going to be able to defend himself? Antoine wanted to play last week and we kind of held him back. But he has made very good progress and by his own admission he talks about having six months to get healthy. You just appreciate that push from all of those guys that were laying there yesterday on Christmas Day hooked up to all the different units trying to get well, trying to get to today's practice and in the long run get to Sunday's game.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about Brandon Marshall?
A: Big, explosive, fast, good hand-eye. He can stop and start; he is not just a long-stride guy. He knows how to wiggle himself open. He is a very good competitor in jump-ball situations and so they are trying to find ways to get him the football, not just on fly routes or go routes. He has some pretty good catch-and-run ability and he is a handful with the size he is to be able to bring down.
Q: Is he similar to Sidney Rice?
A: Again, I would say a little bit different. I think that probably he is a bigger kid than Sidney is physically.
The End ...
http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=491091