HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team breaking the season into four-game quarters and this season being defined by the last four-game quarter) Friday, December 10, 2010
"Yes, there is no doubt it will. It is usually the time of the year when somebody has to get hot and make a run at it, and that's what we are trying to do, trying to put a string together. That was our first one of the quarter, and we have our second one coming up."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team having a different approach this season to the final four games than they usually do) Friday, December 10, 2010
"Obviously, it determines what happens to us. It's kind of like when you were a youngster going out on the basketball court and used to play a game called 'make it, take it'. Whoever won stayed on the court. That is kind of where we are. We have to play well down the stretch."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on RB-Chris Johnson) Friday, December 10, 2010
"He's a fantastic runner, obviously. He did a superb job against us last night. Those guys that run as well as he runs are typically going to get their yards. You just have to hope that it's not enough to really destroy you. I think we were able to keep him contained, but we missed some tackles, and he made us miss, let's not take anything from him. A guy doesn't gain the yards that he's gained over the last two years without being very, very skilled and effective. Anytime, we let anyone get over 100 yards, we don't feel real good about that, but with him, you can anticipate that he is going to be somewhere close."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team facing good running teams the rest of the season) Friday, December 10, 2010
"You always want to be able to stop the run. You don't want a team to be able to eat up the clock and also put points on the board and keep our offense off the field. That's a big part of what we preach and try to prevent."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team has historically done well against RB-Chris Johnson) Friday, December 10, 2010,
"We have, but every game is different, every year is different. Sometimes it requires just a little different approach to handle him, but the big thing is you have to keep him contained. He is a very, very good cutback runner, and when he does cutback, you have to have somebody in position to make plays."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the benefit of having some extra time to rest) Friday, December 10, 2010
"We saw the antithesis of that this week where we had a short week, and it did put a lot of stress on us from a physical standpoint, particularly we've been a little short-handed at some spots, but we were able to fight through it. I think guys stepped up and did a nice job, those that had to come in and replace. Now with the 10 days rest, we hopefully will be able to get some guys on the mend, not only guys that have been out for awhile, hopefully we get one or two back, but also the guys that participated in the game. Now that it doesn't require a seven day turnaround to get them back out there, so hopefully we won't have any guys miss this next game that played in this ballgame, but we will wait and see. The 10 days not only gives us a chance to heal properly, but it gives us a chance to focus in on Jacksonville. We get a couple more days of preparation and with that we can spread our work out a little bit more. Hopefully, we can go into the game with a little bit of a pep in our step."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if there is an injury concern with OT-Charlie Johnson) Friday, December 10, 2010
"Everybody is really a concern coming out of the ballgame. You're not quite certain what the prognosis is. Sometime this afternoon we'll get a fairly decent idea, but anytime you can't go back into the ballgame there is some concern."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if it has been more difficult for the players to stay fresh this season) Friday, December 10, 2010
"At some positions, yes, because of the fact that we're just a little bit short, so we've had to practice some of our guys a little bit more than we ordinarily would. That has kind of a trickle down effect on you. You get a little bit more wear-and-tear on the body, but for the most part, I think you can see guys are running pretty well. Our charge is to make certain they continue to do that."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what the team needs to do to get consistency) Friday, December 10, 2010
"It's just something we have to continue to work on. There is not just one thing. What we have to do is do the things we normally do. Don't beat ourselves, number one. Penalties, we had a few too many yesterday. We had seven penalties yesterday. Those are the things that will stall you. Anytime that you don't turn the ball over it gives you an opportunity to be consistent and keep drives going. We have to tackle better from a defensive standpoint. There are a lot of little things. There is a sign that hangs in our locker room that says, 'Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.' I think consistency is one of those bigger things. What we have to do is make certain we focus in on the little things; the basic fundamentals, catching the ball, throwing the ball, blocking, tackling, just the basic fundamentals. That will get us to the point where we are doing everything consistent."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if that will be the message this week) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I don't have to give it until Monday, so sometimes things change. We'll think about it and see where we are. Consistency is something we preach every single day, all the time. It is not anything new. It's not anything they haven't heard. That is constantly discussed and talked about."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team winning every close game last year, but this season not fairing as well in close games) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I'd like to think, for the most part, teams find ways to win the close ones, regardless of how it happens. I'm not one that believes in luck. Branch Rickey said, 'Luck is a residue of design,' or this statement, 'Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.' I'm a big believer in those sayings. I just think prepare and prepare well, and at some point in time things are going to go our way. We've just got to keep fighting until we get to the point where we are very, very consistent and we'll get those bounces. We got a couple of them yesterday."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he's expecting close games going forward) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I think every game is going to be one that you are going to have to turn the tide in your favor. Turnover ratio is huge. You can't play absolutely mistake free, but you can limit your mistakes. Keep the ball in front of you, limit big plays, those are all things we talk about that put us in position to win."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on WR-Taj Smith making some big plays in special teams) Friday, December 10, 2010
"He sure has. Taj has been great for us in the last couple of ballgames. He's got a lot of energy and enthusiasm. He's a tough competitor. He's been able, somehow, to get around that ball quite often, particularly in some crucial, critical times."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he told players to kick back and relax this weekend) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I don't know if kick back is the term I would use, but a little respite is not bad, right? But I think it's good for them. I think it's good for them from a physical standpoint and a mental standpoint. Now they can take a pause for a moment and look down the road a little bit in preparation for this next ball game, watch some games on Sunday and see how things fall. I think it came at a great time. It's always nice when you won the game and then you go into this stretch. If it's the other way around, it's not such a good stretch. You're always wondering, 'Hey, should we be working? What should we be doing?' All of those things come into play. Fortunately, we aren't in that situation."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Oakland-Jacksonville game on Sunday) Friday, December 10, 2010
"Obviously, it's a game that we will watch because we can do a little advance scouting in that regard. That will be good. But it still boils down to the fact that we still control our own destiny. It's how we play that counts. Right now, we don't have to ask anybody for any help. I think we're in a good position in that regard."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what he said to the team after the game last night) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I told them I'm proud of them, and the great effort they certainly gave. It was a team effort. We got plays from special teams, defense and offense that made a difference. Some extraordinary effort out there just from guys getting it done. The offensive line ended up with five guys standing. They did a nice job, just in terms of hanging in there and battling their way through it. That was probably the gist of it, for the most part."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the defense looking tired at the end of the game, but still being able to slow the Titans down enough to win) Friday, December 10, 2010
"I'm not certain fatigue was a factor, more so than just getting ourselves in the proper body position to make plays, in terms of tackles. But they were able to, when it counted, to get them stopped and make them really churn it out at the end to eat up the clock. Those things all helped us. There were some big plays on defense, too. DE-Dwight (Freeney's) strip, caused fumble was huge in the ballgame as well."
