Coach Cable: Let's do a quick injury update. Chaz Schilens did not participate with a knee injury. Michael Bush participated…limited with a thumb. Travis Goethel did not participate with a lower back injury; Desmond Bryant was limited with an elbow. Walter McFadden did not participate with a hamstring.
Q: What does Jay Alford bring?
A: He certainly showed today he has some quickness, some pass rush ability, he gives us another big body in there. I think he is somebody who can be multiple and play tackle and end.
Q: How challenging has it been to deal with these injuries this early in the season, how challenging has it been getting these guys in the right spots and game planning?
A: The biggest challenge has been to have them all out there at the same time to work with their teammates. It seems like there has been a guy here and a guy there. There's a bit of a challenge, but we've known what they are so we've been able to deal with it in terms of depth and getting guys in the right spots. The good news is we should be getting all these guys back here pretty soon.
Q: During preseason you played teams that are very effective running the football, did that help you prepare for Tennessee this week?
A: I think it helped us fix our problems and get more secure with what we are trying to do in terms of run defense. I don't know how you really prepare for a guy like Chris Johnson, he is a rare guy, but there are some things you have to be able to do to be able to contain him, if you don't do that he can certainly hurt you any play.
Q: So much attention has been paid to Chris Johnson, but as you mentioned the other day, you can't overlook the quarterback either; what challenge does Vince Young present to you?
A: I just think that you have to look at their team; they've got a couple of receivers who are dynamic players, the tight end Bo Scaife is a dynamic player. Certainly Chris gets a lot of the attention as he should, but the quarterback can get you and you really have to do a great job of containing him and knowing where he's at when you're rushing the passer. It's very easy for him to pull down the ball and take off; he's proven he can do that. He's not afraid to get hit and run with the football, so you don't have that element in there like you do with a lot of quarterbacks. There's a lot of good players on that team and you just have to be very, very sound.
Q: Can a lot of film study help when he gets out of the pocket and you're not sure whether he is going to run or throw, as far as coming up to make the tackle or falling back, or is that just about instinct and guessing right?
A: I think there's some of both. Certainly you've got to study these guys. We are talking about it all the time, and now that we are in the regular season, you can't possibly know enough about the opponent. I think that every player on our defense is working with him and taking notes and studying the plan and the opponent. But specific to that, I think you need to understand what he is; what are his strengths, his weaknesses, what does he like to do, what does he not like to do, how you can get him uncomfortable. I think all those things go on in terms of the process of the week getting ready to play
Q: You mentioned the other day that with Tennessee that there's not a lot of trickery there, it's about match-ups; how do you attack a defense like that?
A: You have to be able to match the intensity they play with. If you look at over time, that team has always been about playing hard and being relentless in their style of play. They don't make any wholesale changes; they just do what they do. Sure they will have some things that we have to adjust to in the game; we all will do that to each other, particularly in this first weekend. The reality of it is, when you line up and they play what they play, you have to be able to block them.
