HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on how it is to be 4-4) 11/10/04
"Well, we'll find out here over the next eight weeks. It's never how you start, it's always how you finish in this business. We've had our ups and downs. We got off to a slow start. We lost our first two. I thought the next five weeks after that, we made steady improvement as a team. I really liked the direction we were heading. We didn't play as well as we wanted this last weekend out in Denver, so we took a step back."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on if the AFC South still goes through Indianapolis) 11/10/04
"Well, they're the division champs. They're the team you have to beat in this division, I think. Any time you have that offense, it's like a machine. They've had a group together there for a lot of years. They've had the same coaching staff, they're talented, they're well-coached and they're highly efficient. You don't have to put on much tape to realize that."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on how rare it is to have QB-Peyton Manning, WR-Marvin Harrison and RB-Edgerrin James together and how hard is it to keep them together) 11/10/04
"Well, it's a rare combination and it doesn't happen very often. And they've done a tremendous job. They've grown together and you can see that they've been together. They know each other. It's been the same coaching staff there on offense, the same group. They're good players, they're well-coached and they're very efficient."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on if the 'Big Three' of Manning, Harrison and James are as good as Dallas' (Aikman, Irvin and Smith) and Buffalo's (Kelly, Reed and Thomas) 11/10/04
"I think you'd have to put them right there with them. Different time, different place, but they've been the most productive threesome here over the last however many years."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on who is more important to bring back, RB-Edgerrin James or WR-Marvin Harrison) 11/10/04
"That would be hard for me to say. They're both great players. It starts with (Peyton) Manning, but then…if you're facing a team, and they're a one-dimensional team, they become much easier to defend. The Colts, being able to run the ball the way they do and then the big-play combination of Peyton to Marvin is one that's just hard to deal with. And now, (wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley) are having really good years. The two tight ends (Marcus Pollard and Dallas Clark) are really healthy, so they have a lot more options. When we played them here the last game of the season last year, they were pretty much a three wide receiver set, because their tight ends weren't healthy. But, they have a lot of different ways to go now with Pollard and Clarkand (Wayneand Stokley). I mean, they're all playing their role well."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on what went in to starting the Texans' franchise with QB-David Carr) 11/10/04
"I just think that if you have a quarterback that you think can come in and be the cornerstone of your franchise. We all know how important a quarterback is in this business and all you have to do is look around if you don't have one and you know it's kind of a helpless feeling. We thought David Carr was kind of the guy we wanted to start with and be the cornerstone of building this thing. We like the progress that he's made through the first three years. I think he has a very bright future. Just like the Colts did with Peyton (Manning), we walked him in here from day one and he was the number one quarterback. And you know you're going to go through some growing pains, but I think it pays dividends in the long run."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on if drafting a QB at No. 1 makes you have an offensive franchise) 11/10/04
"I don't think so. You know you can't build everything at once, as much as you would like to. We were a little bit more of a veteran team on defense through the expansion draft and that type of thing. We took our first two years; most of our higher picks were offensive players. We wanted to try to get some weapons over there. Our defense enabled us to hang in there the first year and play competitive for the most part. We had a lot of injuries on defense last year, so we dropped off. Then, we spent the large majority of our draft this year on the defensive side, and we're starting three rookies now on defense."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on if WR-Andre Johnson is maybe better than he thought he would be at this point) 11/10/04
"He's made tremendous progress. I think he has the talent to be very, very good. To me, the thing that's enabled him to improve is his attitude and his approach. He's a young guy, but he has a really good work ethic. He's really a competitor. He wants to be good. So, I like all those intangible things about Andre."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on how much WR-Andre Johnson has helped QB-David Carr) 11/10/04
"I think it helps tremendously when you have a weapon like that. I'm sure you go back and look at Peyton (Manning) and Marvin (Harrison) and how long they've been together and how much they help each other. I mean, it all has to fit together. And you have to have the people up front to protect. We've taken a positive step offensively this year. We aren't where we want to be, but we're much better than what we've been the first two years."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on when you stop being an expansion team) 11/10/04
"I think the only way you gain respect in this business (is to) go out and earn it. And you have to do it on the field. I haven't talked a lot about expansion since day one here because, to me, our expectations are to go out and play our best and do the very best we can to win. I know it takes some patience, and you have to have a conviction to stick with your plan in the early stages, because you can't jump all over the place. You can't start in one direction and head in a different direction if you want to build anything. I think we're an improved team. I think we're better right now than what we've been the first two years. What we do over the next eight weeks will probably determine whether this season was considered successful or not for us."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on the job Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore does) 11/10/04
"Right now, he's doing the best job. I've always said, and this goes back to when Tom was in Pittsburgh, and of course I've known Tom for a long time, but I've always respected him as a coach. He's just a solid, solid football coach. And you look at the offense, and they're a reflection of Tom. As I look at the Colts offense, I can't imagine a more efficient group. They run the ball well and throw it well. I just think Tom's been around a long time. His experience really works to his background to where he's been through it before. And he draws from that experience. I just think he's one of the very best in the business."
HEAD COACH DOM CAPERS(on RB-Edgerrin James) 11/10/04
