HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how LB-Pat Angerer played vs. Houston) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Steady. I thought he did a pretty good job for his first time at that position (strongside linebacker). He made some mistakes, but he's the kind of guy that gets better every week. He played steady."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if SLB is a lot different than MLB) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Because of the fact that all the angles are different for you, in some cases you're turning plays back into the middle linebacker or turning him back to the backside or making him bounce to the outside. All those things kind of change depending on what the front is and how you fit. So, some of those things are a little different; also, pass drops and things of that nature. But he's a smart guy, and he's a quick learner."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if LB-Pat Angerer pretty much had one week at SLB) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Last week was really the first time he's been there full-time, but he's one of the guys that we kind of depend upon, who is going to be somewhat flexible, and all three positions he certainly can play."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if starting LB-Pat Angerer at SLB was a situation of getting the best players out there on the field together) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"That's correct. The guys that are performing the best we try to get them on the field all at the same time."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if LB-Pat Angerer has a bright future) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He has a natural knack. We'll see how he goes. Just like anything else, a couple of games does not a career make. He's got the intangibles that you really like."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has an update on RB-Mike Hart's injury) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"No. I don't have anything yet. They report at noon for treatment. He'll be evaluated, and we'll get a prognosis sometime later on today."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if RB-Donald Brown had aggravated his hamstring in the fourth quarter when RB-Javarris James went into the game for RB-Mike Hart) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He did not aggravate his hamstring. We had a plan going into the game (on) how we felt he'd be used and those kinds of things. We stayed fairly close to script."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what's the biggest obstacle in a short week with the quick turnaround between games) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Fatigue. It's one day shorter when you really think about it. Usually you have a Monday, in terms of your preparation, and then a Tuesday, so it's one day shorter in terms of your preparation for that week for your coaching staff. But we tried to preempt that a little bit. We worked on them during the bye week. We tried to establish a pretty clear picture of what our game plan would be against them, knowing that we were going to be a little short this week. That's the biggest thing, those two factors. Your preparation does indeed change a little bit. Probably you have to consider doing some things a little different because of the fact you're back on the field so quickly after a late game, just in terms of the intensity of your practice on Wednesday and Thursday, probably."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if the team prepared for Philadelphia during the bye week or just the coaches) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"No, it was the coaches preparing. We focused in on ourselves, in terms of our practice regimen. The coaches had a couple days and they looked at all their film and studied, and the nice thing about it is they didn't have another game to add to the breakdown because they were off this past week, so we really, literally had the information we needed to come up with a pretty good early game plan."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has to monitor practices closely this week because of the fatigue factor) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Certainly, yes."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if Philadelphia still blitzes like it did under former Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"There are a lot of similarities. They are a pretty active bunch. They know what they are doing. They know (how) to get to you. They know how to create problems for you."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if they are trying to prepare for QB-Michael Vick or QB-Kevin Kolb or both) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"We have to look at who is going to play, who we anticipate is going to play the most. It appears through everything that we are seeing, reading, etc., that Michael Vick is going to be the starter and that is the guy who we will prepare for. Certainly, we will have a little package in there (for Kevin Kolb) just in case. You always look at all the alternatives, and you consider everything. This is no different. But the great majority of our game plan will be based on playing against Michael Vick."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Philadelphia RB-LeSean McCoy being similar to Houston RB-Arian Foster) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Yes. I don't think there will be a week that we're not going to walk into a ballgame where there is not going to be a very skilled running back on the other side. Oftentimes there are two or three. Kansas City had three and just on and on and on. Not only that, but they are going to have receivers that can run. (WR-Jeremy) Maclin can get down the field and give you some problems, and so can WR-DeSean Jackson. We're going to face some very, very talented people each and every week. This is no different. McCoy is one of those guys. He does have speed, balance, power, vision, all of the things that can hurt you."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if preparing for QB-Michael Vick is different than preparing for any other quarterback) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He is a totally different entity than anybody we've seen play the position at this point. There are quarterbacks that can run, (QB-Donovan) McNabb is a guy that can run. He can extend plays. He does it with power. You hit him, he bounces off of you. He's a big guy. In this particular case, Michael Vick can extend plays, but he does it with speed, and not only that, much like McNabb, he can hurt you down the field. Once he gets out in the open field, he's a handful, difficult to handle. So, yes, preparation for him is a lot different than anybody we've faced."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has to guard his players from a sense of relief about being back in first place in the AFC South) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"You don't ever take anything for granted, so you always have to certainly talk about it, but we do have a group that I think has always been extremely focused, but we're still going to talk about it anyway. Our veteran leadership does a great job. It's an old adage, and it sounds like an old cliché, but the fact of the matter is it's what we do. We throw this one behind us after we have an opportunity to look at the film and just focus in on the next one, and that's all that we're concerned about. We're not concerned about standings. We're not concerned about anything else. We're concerned about getting better and getting ourselves in the best position to play well on Sunday."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if WR-Anthony Gonzalez was hurt in last night's game) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He did get banged up a little bit, but the extent of it, I'm not quite certain of yet."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if DB-Jerraud Powers will be back for the Philadelphia game) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"I'm not sure to be honest with you. We're certainly hopeful. He's getting better, but to be honest with you, it's kind of day-to-day with him."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on it looking like the team found a kick returner (DB-Justin Tryon) and punt returner (WR-Blair White)) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Both guys did a nice job. That's probably more return yards than we've had all year long. Blair White had a couple of nice runs. He did a nice job fielding the ball as well. Justin (Tryon) hit it well. He did a really nice job also. Both of those guys, I think, gave us a boost in that area."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the decision to have P-Jeremy Kapinos kick off and not K-Adam Vinatieri) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"We just wanted to let him do what he does. He's the guy for us that kicks field goals. We don't necessarily want to interfere with that. He has a rhythm to it. To put any undue strain or pressure on him, in terms of stress on his leg, is something that we wanted to try to stay away from. Jeremy can do it, and I think he was able to do a decent job for us."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if P-Pat McAfee will resume punting and kickoff duties) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Yes, he will be."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he draws from the past in handling short weeks like this one will be) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"I'm not certain it's a key, but there is a way we go about it. Typically, we just kind of look back at previous schedules that we've done before and utilize those as our baseline, but every year is different. The nature and health of your team have to be taken into consideration. What I'll do is take a look at it and modify it if need be. Short weeks are interesting. I used to always like them, to be honest with you. Number one, it forces you to narrow your scope quickly. It forces you to sort of reduce your game plan and just settle in on a few things. Oftentimes, the more time you have, sometimes the more things you dream up. Also, I like it because of the fact that the guys have short, crisp, sharp practices often because of the fact that you don't want to wear them out anymore. Thus, it gives you an opportunity to play fairly well. I'm not certain that will be the case this week, but that will be our goal."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on having a successful history in games after short weeks to look back on) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"I think a lot of it has to do with the way guys go about taking care of business and really focusing in on what they have to get accomplished and performing well. It's more so what we do on the field that counts more than anything else. They do a really good job of focusing on practice and getting better every week."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he was pleased with the way TE-Jacob Tamme and RB-Mike Hart practiced and played last week) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"We were certainly pleased and proud in the way in which they played. Mike did a tremendous job of stepping in and running the ball well. He is one of those guys that I think has been persistent all of his life because I think people oftentimes have looked at him from a size standpoint probably when he was going into college saying he was going to be a little bit too small, and all he did was break all the records at Michigan. And then coming into this league, they were worried about his speed and worried about his size as the draft analysis was going on, but all he has done is come in and been very, vey effective for us, not only in terms of running the ball, but catching it, too. That was a huge third down catch where he ended up extending and stretching for the first down. (He) did a very, very nice job of finding seams and had good runs for us, and he is also a good pass protector. He did a nice job picking up a free defensive lineman to give Peyton a little extra time to throw the ball in one situation, but he does all of those things extremely well. So, we were really pleased with the way he stepped in and performed. Jacob Tamme, you know you would have to say the same thing. Here is a guy that we've seen a lot of him through practice and that sort of nature, although he hasn't had a lot of scrimmage snaps, but he is a guy that has ability. He can run and catch, he is a good route runner and he is a tough guy. He has been very involved in our special teams the last couple of years and I think that's helped him to be honest with you. He was able to step right in and move right along and do some good things for us."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how effective DE-Jerry Hughes was on Monday night) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He was going to get some (playing time) and we thought he got in there and did some things very well. He got pressure on the quarterback and got up the field and showed what he can do. We just have to work on his consistency in all phases, but it was good to see him get in there and get rolling."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the extended defensive plans for DE-Jerry Hughes) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Every week is different depending upon what we are facing from an offensive standpoint. It is just what we feel is going to be the best combination up front. So, we are always tinkering with that."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how DE-Jerry Hughes has handled his rookie season) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Thus far, I think he is maturing and getting better and he is learning and is eager to learn. We just hope he continues to ascend."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if Monday night's officiating was unsteady at some points) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"How much money do you have in your pocket? (Laughter) I think that is kind of a leading question, right? They called what they saw. We may not agree with everything, but they did the best job they could do and those things that we don't agree with, we take a look at the film and we send it in. That's protocol and that's what we'll do."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the defense's good night on third downs and if its performance on first and second downs affect that) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"It has a lot to do with it. It depends on what you do on those two downs. It certainly leaves you in position to create some problems. From a defensive standpoint, I think that DE-Robert (Mathis) and DE-Dwight (Freeney) set the tone for third downs on the first third down of the game. Both guys get up the field. Dwight with his patented spin move gets a sack and then Robert hits him from the opposite side just a little bit later, but that energy and surge was consistent all night long. The fourth-down stop as well was important and key where they got some pressure and LB-Gary (Brackett) did a nice job breaking on the ball and DB-Antoine (Bethea) as well and DB-Justin (Tryon) also. So, I do think that in that area we have been able to keep them in a situation where we can use our speed and guys have been able to cover decently as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on third downs not being good for the defense in the past and this season being quite a change from that) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"We hope to keep trying to improve upon that. I know that Houston was 3-for-11 last night, and I think it's a combination of things. I think it's the rush. I think it's the coverage, the linebacker and secondary play doing a nice job. I think there is a combination of everything."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on QB-Peyton Manning's blocking ability) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He got the job done, right? That's what counts. We'd be a little nervous if he was out there trying to pancake guys anyway. It's not his job."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if QB-Peyton Manning is a better blocker or runner) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"He did both of them fairly well last night, didn't he? Picked up a first down and obviously led WR-Pierre (Garcon) around the corner."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he is jumpy with QB-Peyton Manning scrambling like that) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"No. We've been around him long enough. He knows when to get down. He's not going to take any unnecessary hits and he is a tough guy, too. He has taken a few in his lifetime."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on WR-Blair White) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Oftentimes you will look at a guy and you'll look at numbers and who is supposed to fit into particular categories, but what you have to consider is intangibles, and he has them all: work ethic, desire, heart. All of those things you look at, he has those things that supersede maybe some of the tings that you don't see. That's where I think his value lies. He is a guy that knows how to get open, knows how to play the game, knows how to return, knows how to get in seams. He is very, very solid and consistent. He can be a little deceptive. He's been able to help us quite a bit."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on WR-Blair White's poise) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Certainly. He is unflappable. He's smart. The moment is not too big for him and he gets in there and loves to play. He has great passion for the game. He is a good football player. Oftentimes you will kind of label guys and say he may not have all of the numbers you would like to see in terms of what we consider to be the basic sort of standard for guys playing in this league, but there are other guys you look at and say 'Hey, that guy is a football player,' and that is Blair White."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on having success with some guys that don't look like they fit the part) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"That's the great thing about the guys in our personnel office. They understand that and they know what kind of fits for us and it might not be something everybody else values. We value certain things that make a tremendous difference. Integrity, character, work ethic and desire are all big for us. Those are very, very important things because that's how we win. We win with guys that when things look a little bleak from the outside with not being able to do this or that because of injuries, they pay no attention to that. They believe in themselves and the have the wherewithal to put it all together and be able to perform. I think that's part of who we are."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if the Colts have any interest in Randy Moss or is that another department) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"Personnel issues are all of our department. We all discuss them and talk about them and those type of things. I just learned to never say never about anything because you just don't know. You just don't know what may happen down the road."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if there is interest) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"I said never say never. That's the point I'm making. Not necessarily from an interest level, but whether or not he'd ever play for us. I think that is oftentimes the question that you'd ask. You never know."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Colts being thin at receiver week to week) Tuesday, November 2, 2010
"It just depends on who fits within our system. Our system is not maybe like everyone else's. It's one that there are a lot of nuances to it. It's not one where you can easily just walk in and perform. It takes a little while to catch up. You remember a few years back when WR-Ricky Proehl came in, it took him a few weeks before he could actually be a factor for us because of the fact that it's not a simplistic route tree that you come in and run. There is a lot of stuff that's done at the line of scrimmage and it's done not fast, it's done in a nanosecond. So, it takes quite a bit of preparation, quite a bit of work to be able to function in that realm. Oftentimes, that's why we like to groom and develop the guys that we have in our system. Thus, we see guys like WR-Blair White that can come up through the ranks. They know what's going on, they can adjust and adapt because they have heard it everyday for an extended period of time, and they can perform within it. Guys coming from the outside, it takes them a little while to develop within that system."
