HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on OG-Ryan Lilja)
"He's done extremely well. He has been a real pleasure. To see a guy that missed being a part of the game, and now he has an opportunity to get back out there and do what he loves. You can see it every single day. He has a big smile on his face."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how WR-Hank Baskett has looked)
"You know, it's his first day. He's trying to find his way. We're trying to get him caught up as quickly as we possibly can. He ran around well. You can see that he is a big, strong guy that can run and can catch and can jump."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has any idea how much Baskett will play Monday)
"I'm not certain. It just depends on how much he can grasp. He's a very, very smart guy. I think that is one of the things you realize, the guys that have been around this game for awhile, they stick around because they are smart. They can learn and learn quickly. He's certainly shown the ability to do that. We'll just see how it goes the rest of the week."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Baskett giving the team a different look at WR than normal)
"Yes, he (does). He has a little bit more length, and a bit more wingspan. Nevertheless, we're certainly glad to have him, and we think he'll help us as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DT-Eric Foster)
"He loves to play. The great thing about him is that he is extremely versatile. Obviously, playing the defensive scheme for us on our line, he can play both inside and out. Also, he handles duties in our short-yardage fullback situation, when called upon. He's also a very valuable special teamer, as well. He does a lot of things for us, and he does them well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how difficult it is to have a player that has duties on offense, defense and special teams)
"Well, it's not a task for everyone. There are very few guys that can actually do it. Eric is one of those rare guys who has the ability to not only learn the concepts involved in all three phases, but to also execute them properly. He has a very unusual athleticism. Oftentimes, you don't find guys as big as he is that can adjust and move their feet on the run. Thus, that's what enables him to do both of those things, meaning play fullback and also participate in our special teams."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on WR-Austin Collie coming in on off-days to study film)
"It certainly does (impress me). He's got that kind of work habit. He is one of those come early, stay late guys. Matter-of-fact one morning I saw him in here quite early. He was in poring over the film and taking a real good look at where he can improve. He looks at cut-ups, and he loves it. He's not doing it to be noticed. He's doing it because he has a strong interest in being the best that he possibly can be. It's not something that he started once he arrived here. It's been a hallmark of his over the years. He's one of those guys that has great work habits, and I think in the long run it's going to pay off."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has a feel for what he'd like the workload to look like at running back)
"I think it will still develop. Overall, we had a pretty good mix in there, we think. Every game will probably be a little bit different, but certainly I believe you'll be able to see Donald (Brown) get in there and give Joe (Addai) a spell. But also, Donald will be productive, as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what he saw out of the running game)
"It's like anything else in the game, you look at it, and you're a lot closer than you think. In some areas, it's a technique here or there that is keeping you from attaining your goals. It's also a very, very tough situation that you're in. I remember when I first came here, I was going over scenarios with (Senior Offensive Line Coach) Howard Mudd about short-yardage, and we were talking about some of the things we do can get pretty complex. I was asking about the complexity of it, and if there was a need, and he said one thing to me that kind of sticks in my mind. He said, 'Jim, let me just tell you something. In this league, it's tough to get that much (holds his hands six inches apart).' And there is no question about that. It is difficult. So, therefore, we have to keep working at it. We think we're a lot closer than we were a week ago. What we're going to have to do is prove it. You can talk about it all you want. You have to get on the practice field and do something about it, and then show it in the game."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on OT-Charlie Johnson not practicing yesterday)
"They're looking at him, but we anticipate that he'll be able to play for us at some point. It just depends. He may go some today, I'm not quite sure yet. He's moving along and making progress, and he'll be able to do something for us."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how OT-Tony Ugoh has handled not being the starter this season)
"Like a pro. He's very mature. He's looked at it as an opportunity to work and get better. He's become involved in some other phases of our game, special teams, as well. He's also working extremely hard."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how LB-Tyjuan Hagler played Sunday)
"He did very well. He played hard. He did a nice job, made a couple real fantastic plays on screen plays when he was out there all by himself and made a huge difference. He stopped what looked to be a pretty large gain. I think, overall, he did a nice job, handled the run game to his side very well. He made a lot of plays and is doing a nice job so far."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on similarities between RB-Ricky Williams and RB-Ronnie Brown)
"There are a lot of similarities because they are both powerful backs with good speed. Ricky is a bigger guy, at least when he's carrying the ball. He's more of a downhill runner. Brown can do both pretty well. He can get outside, and obviously that's one of the reasons why they have in the position as the Wildcat. He's a fairly versatile guy that can do a little bit of everything. Both guys are extraordinary players."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on having DT-Ed Johnson back)
"We're excited about getting him back and getting him back in the mix and seeing if he can help us. Our defensive line is an area where you always need good, quality players, particularly where teams try to load up on us in terms of the run game. We're happy to have Ed back in there. He's got to continue to get better and better and better. He's been practicing well, and we're looking forward to seeing him in action."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on LB-Joey Porter and LB-Jason Taylor)
"Both guys are very, very tough to handle. They understand and know how to pressure the quarterback. With their defensive scheme they like to bring them both on a number of occasions. One thing you can rest assured is that one of them is coming on every snap, and you're going to get both of them on a majority of snaps. So, what you have to do is you have to be able to take care of them in terms of making certain that we handle our responsibilities in pass protection, and we have to do it effectively with good technique-driven work and give us enough time to deliver the ball."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the possibility of WR-Austin Collie or WR-Pierre Garcon starting)
"I'm not certain. I wouldn't anticipate either one of them right now, because I couldn't tell you exactly who is going to start. It's too early for me to tell you. I'll probably have a better handle of it by the time we get to Sunday. But right now, I couldn't tell you, and here is the reason why, just so you don't think I'm being flippant, because of the fact that we use so many different formations, it depends on how we are going to start the game, what we feel after our days of practice here, how we can best utilize our personnel to attack their defense, things of that nature. That's why, oftentimes, when you get in this situation, rather than give you some information that could end up being just the opposite of what I said, I'd rather refrain from making any comments."
