TennesseeTitans Conference Call
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on his take on the Colts and this game) 9/28/05
"Obviously, this is our first division game and certainly one that we've been looking forward to. We've looked at them very closely and I'm very impressed with what they've done during the offseason. I think they've improved, it looks like, in all areas. And that only becomes a problem for us because we've struggled the last couple of years with them and in each one of the games for different reasons. But we have a lot of young guys that are looking forward to playing them for the first time."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on if it's important to not let the Colts get too far away in the standings) 9/28/05
"It's real early. We're not looking at things from that perspective. What we're trying to do is just continue to get better. And through that process, we will be able to win our share of games to be competitive. We're not looking at the division race right now by any means. I don't think I have a team that's ready to look at things from that perspective."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on having a new team) 9/28/05
"That was one of the exciting parts about going to training camp this year, because things have changed. We have a nice young group of players, some with experience, some that are gaining experience very quickly. And then we still have a core group of veterans that have been around the block, and they know how to practice and they know how to prepare and they've been a good example for some of the younger players."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on having a QB like Steve McNair making that transition to a younger team easier) 9/28/05
"I think any time you have a quarterback that's done what he's done and been around as long as he has, there's a tendency for the younger players around him to look up to him."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on Steve McNair coming back creating a comfort zone) 9/28/05
"Obviously, Steve and I have been together for a long time, and he's won a lot of games for us. Knowing that he has a number of years left and is excited about the future, certainly becomes a comfort level, yes."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on the salary cap and changes that had to be made all at once) 9/28/05
"It wasn't something that snuck up on us suddenly. We've been planning. We knew we were going to have to make some decisions, and we had some tough decisions. Parting ways with Samari (Rolle), Derrick Mason, Kevin Carter and Fred Miller, that was not easy. But we knew it was coming. We had planned and fortunately for us, we were able to load up with draft picks the last couple of years, that being 24. So we've gotten younger in a hurry, but I think we've done a good job replacing some of the players that we've lost over the years."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on the salary cap affecting every team at some point or another) 9/28/05
"It's going to affect people differently. Some people are going to make wholesale changes, some others are going to anticipate changes and try to ease their way through it. I think, when it's all said and done, success in a season depends on your ability to keep a core group of players and to educate your younger players as to how they're supposed to play, what their expectations are and then stay healthy."
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER(on looking at DE-Dwight Freeney on film) 9/28/05
"This is not something new. I didn't put the tape on here Monday and look to see what Dwight Freeney was doing all of a sudden, only because I've been watching him for a couple of years and know what he's capable of doing. He's off to a great start, there's no doubt. Some of the plays that he's made, specifically last week he had a tremendous effort chase-down play on a long run, which I showed our guys that this morning and the room got quiet. He's just very, very impressive and Brad (Hopkins) knows him well and respects him awfully well. He's going to have his hands full."
