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HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Tuesday morning's practice)
"Third practice, to summarize it quickly, we think it went well. First time in full pads and we had an opportunity to run them through their paces. I think they did a good job in terms of adjusting; we had a little humidity, which we needed. I can still stand for a little bit more if you have connections with your weatherman around the area. But I think our guys performed pretty well this morning. We got some valuable time in terms of contact and individual drills, and also special teams. So we learned a little bit more about them and certainly are trying to get ourselves in game condition. That's going to take us a little while, but today was a good start."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on walking the line between contact and full-out hitting)
"Well, it's a fine line because sometimes it's going to happen. A guy might anticipate someone is stepping in a little different direction and you'll get a pretty heavy collision, and that can't be avoided. So sometimes that's going to happen, but for the most part we try and make certain they get in position sometimes to make the big hits but not necessarily have to deliver them all the time. We get a lot of contact in our individual drills as you see, but in our team drills we try and make sure we cut it up but also let them run it out so we can work on our pursuit."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Joseph Addai mentoring Donald Brown)
"I am not surprised. That's a great thing about the great majority of veterans on our squad, they are willing to help and assist, particularly some of the young guys who are just getting a sense of playing the game on this level. So they have certainly been more than helpful. They can give them a perspective on something a coach may not. They certainly have an opportunity to intimately talk to them during the course of meetings, or afterwards or in lunch or wherever it might be. Joseph does understand our system extremely well, he can present probably some nuances to Donald that he ordinarily may not have gotten. And it will help him long and we're certainly appreciative of that. It's a competitive atmosphere, but its not one that extends beyond the field."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how Addai has looked in practice)
"He looks good. Joseph is coming along well. He's moving it and his quickness is where it's been in terms of overall quickness. He's getting a little bit every day. I think he's feeling comfortable after his time off."
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HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the wide receiver competition, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie)
"It's a good group of guys and we're really trying to find that third receiver. Pierre has had an outstanding spring thus far and he's been catching the ball well. He tightened up a little bit today so he wasn't in there quite as much but we anticipate he'll keep progressing. He's big, strong and fast, so he has the physical tools it takes. He just needs experience. Austin Collie is out there making strides. He's a young guy just out of college but has a real good sense of spacing awareness and he's also a very, very bright football player, a real student of the game. And also a couple of other guys, Roy Hall is doing a great job in there, Taj Smith is doing a great job, so we have a number of guys who are in there and really competing.
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how open the wide receiver competition is)
"Well, it's a pretty strong and heated competition. We are looking for the one who certainly distinguishes himself consistently, that's a key. And that group of guys are doing a great job right now."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on whether he will tab someone as the third wide out or if they will split time)
"It depends. The great thing about our game is its meritocracy. If a couple of guys are even then we'll have an opportunity to split some time. And if a guy distinguishes himself obviously he'll be the guy who lines up there first."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on whether Addai has taken a different approach this season)
"He has always been a real professional. He's a guy who has always been competitive and is trying to get better. Even in the days when he had a great year he came right back out and wanted to improve upon that. I don't think you see any change in that regard, but knowing him, and knowing how he feels about his performance, I anticipate he'll be geared up to have a great year."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team's back-up running backs)
"Lance (Ball) has done a fine job with us. Lance is a quick study, he's learned our system extremely fast and he executes extremely well also. He's versatile, he's a great special teams player and he's shown flashes that he has speed and power. Mike Hart is coming back from injury but looks good and he had a good day today. We'll see how he does this afternoon and tomorrow as we progress through training camp, but Mike is certainly going to be one of those individuals who can step in and give us some help. Overall, Chad Simpson is a similar guy to Lance, power speed and good special teams player. I think we have a real good nucleus of backs and we're excited. If we can keep healthy, we have a chance to have a real competitive atmosphere."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the enthusiasm of Special Teams Coach Ray Rychelski)
"Ray and I worked together at Penn State University some years ago and he was with me at Wake Forest for eight years, and he hasn't changed in terms of his enthusiasm even though that's been a few years ago. But he's a guy who loves the game. I mean, most of the guys who are in this business and coach love it, but he's a guy who eats, sleeps and drinks football consistently. He's rather vocal. He's a guy who you'll hear all over the field, but I think he brings a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy to our special teams."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Coach Rychelski's approach)
"It's a little different form and I think often times that peaks (players') interest. But like anything else, the thing that matters the most is performance."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on whether he ever tells him to tone it down)
"I know Ray, that's why we brought him here. That's why he's here. There was no secret in what we were getting. It would be different if we hired someone you don't know much about. But I know a lot about him, and I know he'll do well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if there will be any noticeable differences in the defense)
"I'm not certain they are going to see a marked difference in terms of our alignments and personnel. Defensively, we have always preached the rushers and teams that run to the ball well. Speed is a factor with us; it's a core, a value that we certainly want to maintain. We're probably going to mix things up a little bit more than we have previously. And that's what I think when the guys are talking about it more than anything else, is you have to practice those things. It's not like were going to use all these things in one game. But you have to go through your menu, work your way down your list, install everything you have and then you come back and for each game you pick out a few things you're going to utilize. Don't expect our entire game to be an all-out blitz from start to finish."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on whether he has had a chance for self-reflection as head coach)
"I have not. It's something obviously I've looked forward to and it's a great time in my life right now to have an opportunity to lead a great time in a great organization. I feel fortunate, I feel blessed. Probably sometime in a daily basis when I'm saying my prayers I do say thanks, but that's just one of them."
