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"We had our first day of work (Wednesday). I thought it was pretty good for us and we are building toward, hopefully, a good week. We will get on our short-yardage and red zone and two-minute stuff (Thursday), as we always do. I think our guys are fired up about going to Green Bay and looking forward to the challenge."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if DT-John McCargo had a bulging disk in his back)
"I don't know. I'm not in that business. I got the message from (team president) Bill (Polian) that he didn't pass his physical, that there were some issues and that we needed to proceed with the guys that we had. So, something in there failed the physical."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if the team will bring in another DT)
"That's something we'll look at at the end of the week. We have to clear a spot for (LB) Tyjuan (Hagler) anyway, that's probably what our thought is right now. But, nothing is out of the realm of possibility."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if the team has to throw it deep when defenses play up)
"We do. We have to look and see how people play us. We've had five games that they've played us that way. The first four we didn't hit as many as we'd like. Last week, we hit some and it ended up translating into 31 points. Green Bay plays that style. They force you to go after big plays. They play a lot of bump-and-run coverage, so I think it'll be more of the same."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the young players on the OL)
"They are learning every week. Every week is a new experience as you are playing different styles of defenses – 3-4, 4-3 – different types of players – quick, mobile, active guys like ours, bigger guys like we're going to see this week. Everything is a learning experience for those new guys. But, they're doing well. They soak in information, they listen and they're doing quite well."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if they are meshing well with the older players on the OL)
"They are. Obviously, having (C) Jeff (Saturday) back has helped us. He can do a lot of the communicating, where they just have to listen and take in the information. They're not having to make the calls. That certainly does help."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on LB-Tyjuan Hagler)
"He did well yesterday, practiced fine and didn't seem to be sore today, so that's a good sign."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on DB-Keiwan Ratliff)
"Keiwan's a veteran guy. He knows what we're doing. He's a very, very good athlete and he's been able to do that a couple of times for us, jump back in on short notice. We're glad to have him and he fills a lot of roles for us."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if it is common to bring in guys "off the street")
"I think veteran guys do get themselves ready to go. (Former Houston coach) Bum Phillips used to do it all the time with guys. (WR) Johnnie Dirden, I think, was driving a truck and ended up being a punt returner for them and doing a pretty good job. He seemed to be able to get those guys and locate them off the street better than anybody."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if RB-Joseph Addai has a torn hamstring)
"I hope not. I read that (Wednesday). I hadn't heard that. I've had pulled muscles that kept me out a week or two. I would think a torn muscle would be a problem, but I haven't heard that other than reading it in the paper."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on if Addai is out for Sunday)
"I'll just say this, (LB) Clint Session was not supposed to play last week on Monday. He had a pulled calf muscle and wasn't supposed to play and Clint told me he was quite sure he was going to play because he finished the Houston game with it. So, we made all these preparations, practiced different guys and he played every play. So, Joseph will see how it is on Friday and see what we think, but nothing leads me to believe it's going to be real long-term at this time, but you never know."
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HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on DE-Robert Mathis and DE-Dwight Freeney)
"When you really look at it, the number of fumbles those guys have caused is quite amazing. Robert has a real knack for it. Dwight has been good. They've gotten them mainly in passing situations, but not always. They focus on that ball and they have the quickness that you need to get it. They have made a ton of big plays for us.
"They certainly look for the ball when they're coming. A lot of times, Dwight is coming from the blind side so the quarterback doesn't see him. Robert gets his blind sometimes, but a lot of times he's coming from where the quarterback can see him and just gets there quicker than they anticipate."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on RB-Chad Simpson)
"Chad is a runner. He's a guy that I think is going to make yards when he gets the ball in his hands. He can do some things. He's been great for us on the look squad. I think he's going to be one of those guys. He's like (RB) Dom(inic Rhodes) in a lot of ways. When he gets the chance to run, he's going to make some big runs."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on being able to successfully plug guys in at RB)
"The easiest thing in our offense is to run the running plays. Learning all the code words, the pass protections, picking up the right guys and running the right pass routes, that's what's tough on the backs. We've been fortunate to have guys who have picked that up pretty quickly, Edgerrin (James) and Joseph (Addai) especially. The other guys, Dom and James Mungro and Ricky Williams, have had a chance to sit back and watch that part of it, and Chad's gotten a chance to do that over these first six weeks. Usually, when those guys get in the game and they get a chance to run, they usually run pretty well."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the league having spring scrimmages)
"I hope not, but we'll see. I can remember, I don't want to wax nostalgically about the good ole days, but I remember when I first worked for Coach (Chuck) Noll, we used to have a softball game against the grounds crew on Memorial Day and that was the end of our work until training camp. I think, in a way, that was pretty good. With OTAs and weightlifting and different things, we've turned it into a 10- or 11-month-a-year job. If we're looking to expand that, I don't think that would be good, but I'm just one voice in the wilderness."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on TE-Gijon Robinson and WR-Pierre Garcon bringing positive energy to the locker room)
"They do and I think Chad Simpson's going to be the same way. Our young guys have helped us by bringing some of that energy to the team."
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