HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (General Comments) Wednesday* *
"Today we expect to further our preparation for Tennessee. We expect it to be a tough, hard-nosed battle. It's a great division rivalry. It's one of those that is certainly worth the price of admission."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On if LB-Gary Brackett is coming back) Wednesday
"Yes. He is back practicing. We feel good about where he is."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On DB-Bob Sanders) Wednesday
"He is ramping up his activity a little bit. That's the best way to describe it. He's not in full practice or anything of that nature. He will participate in some limited activity out on the field."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On OT-Charlie Johnson) Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"He is a day-to-day situation. He's getting better. I anticipate knowing something a little bit more tomorrow."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On what DB-Bob Sanders is doing to rehab) Wednesday
"They have a prescribed regimen that he goes through. The details of it I am not familiar with or could tell you right off hand. He is doing all of the things in terms of his rehabilitation with his cutting and movement. He's doing the types of things that are required once he gets out on the field. I know that has been going along extremely well. I know they (trainers) like the progress that he has shown thus far. I know he is getting a lot more comfortable. At some point in time, even today, we expect him to get out and do a little bit, not necessarily in a rigid practice setting but to get out there and participate in some activity. He did a little bit on Monday. I think you'll see that continue to increase as time goes on."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On if he had a favorite NFL team growing up) Wednesday
"I did, the Chicago Bears. Everyone else in our household was (Green Bay) Packers fans. I was a Bears fan. Our hometown is located right on the state line of Wisconsin. I grew up loving Dick Butkus, Gayle Sayers and that whole group. When the Packers and the Bears played, I sat on one side of the room and the rest of my family was on the other."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On playing against the Wildcat in Miami and possibly Tennessee) Wednesday
"They executed extremely well. They did a great job with giving us a few problems with running the ball downhill. I think a number or our difficulties came from the fact that we missed a lot of tackles in that ballgame. The other thing is we weren't gap sound. We didn't take care of our gap responsibility. It is a tough scheme to handle anyway. It gives you enough problems with misdirection that you have situations that a play or two might get out on you. As long as we are sound as far as our approach and take care of our gap responsibilities, we'll be fine. You have to be able to defeat the guy in front of you. Every week you have to prove it over again. This week is no different. We'll start from scratch. We are getting ready to prepare right now. We've forgotten everything that we did in that first quarter. We are onto the next one. We'd better be good because they (Tennessee) can give you some problems. Let's talk about Titans RB-Chris Johnson. He is one of the premier backs in the National Football League. He has speed and balance and power. All he needs is a crack and he can take it to the house. We have a real challenge ahead of us. He's special."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On Tennessee being winless at this point) Wednesday
"When you look at them on film you realize everybody is back on defense except the big guy in the middle (Albert Haynesworth). It is still a tough, hard-nosed group that is rugged, and with experienced guys. Their offense is potent. They have weapons. They have two big receivers in (Justin) Gage and Kenny Britt, who is a young guy who is fast with good size. They also have Nate Washington, who is fast and can get up the field and can get behind you at any point. Bo Scaife was their leading receiver last year at tight end when they had their great year. He's back. (Alge) Crumpler has been playing extremely well when Bo wasn't in there. They have a formidable offensive line with (Kevin) Mawae at center and Jake Scott. They have a tough fullback. They have a great backup tailback in LenDale White. That's a one-two punch that's pretty extraordinary. They have a good, solid kicking game with a great placekicker. They are an upper- tier team in terms of their talent."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (QB-Kerry Collins) Wednesday
"He is a great leader. Even when times are tough, you want that guy leading the way. He's got that kind of attitude. He's got that kind of poise. He is also gifted physically as well. He can throw the ball. He can hurt you a number of ways. He's got all the throws. He was a lot of fun to coach when I had him in college. He just had a sense even then that he was going to be pretty special. He was tall and athletic and had a strong arm. He has a quick and resourceful mind. You could tell early on he was a pretty talented guy."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On looking ahead if the Colts win Sunday night) Wednesday
"I really try to focus in on what we have to get done today to get us in condition to perform well. We try to look at this thing in a practical way. What makes us better performers is we concentrate on the things that get us there. I don't talk about a whole lot of things off into the future. I'm not one of those guys who spends money before I get it. Once we get there, then we can make a determination of where we are and talk about those things when they are appropriate. The only thing we can control is how we are functioning today."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On what he tells the younger players in preparation for the game Sunday night) Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"We know it's a heated rivalry. Eight years in the same division. We've had some real battles. We try to give them (rookies) some sense if what it will be like. We give them some comparisons and those types of things. We talk about it and then we move on. That's all you can do. We approach each and every game around here as the biggest game and the most important game because it's the next game. That's the way this one is as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On DE-Dwight Freeney practicing this week) Wednesday
"We will be careful with him for sure. Even though he played last week we want to monitor his progress a little bit and just make certain he's out of the woods. He's going to do some work this week."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On WR-Anthony Gonzalez) Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"He is rehabbing and coming along. He is doing everything they expect him to do at this time. He is maybe a little bit ahead. The doctors and everyone involved with him feel real good about where he is."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On how the team will prepare for the game Sunday night) Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"We try to focus more on fundamentals more than anything else. We get them prepared for most things that could conceivably happen. It's our job to get them prepared. You have to rely on the basic fundamentals and techniques. You read your keys and play football."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On playing against former Colts DB-Nick Harper, LB-David Thornton and OL-Jake Scott) Wednesday
"They are three great men that we have an immense amount of respect for in this organization. They played well for us when they were here. They were great leaders. David was a captain. Nick was leader back in our secondary when he was here, and Jake was one of the guys who were the core of our offensive line. Every one of them had a tremendous impact on us. I'm glad to see all three of them doing well. It's been a win-win situation for all three of them."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (On if he had a favorite NFL team growing up) Wednesday
"I did, the Chicago Bears. Everyone else in our household were (Green Bay) Packers fans. I was a Bears fan. Our hometown is located right on the state line of Wisconsin. There's a road called Shirland Avenue in the southern part of our town. On the north side of Shirland, you are in Wisconsin. On the south side of Shirland, you are in Illinois. Right in that little area there's a pretty large contingent of Bears fans. All of the Chicago television stations, radio stations, etc. were in my home town. I grew up loving Dick Butkus, Gayle Sayers and that whole group. When the Packers and the Bears played, I sat on one side of the room and the rest of my family was on the other."
