On facing a new starting quarterback (Brady Quinn): "They do a good job. They do a good job forming game plans and it could be slightly different personnel group-wise. They change their personnel and run the same plays. Brady's had experience with the coordinator and the head coach before so it hasn't changed much with them."
On how Quinn looked against Tampa Bay: "He functioned in the offense well. Tampa Bay made some pretty good plays on the football and got some bounces and that's what you do. Tips and overthrows is how you get interceptions. They got a couple of those. He does know the offense and it looks like he's running the offense efficiently."
On Jamaal Charles: "He's really fast. The offensive line does a good job of working together. They do a good job of figuring out where you are and working together to get on guys and pushing them either past the hole or around them. Jamaal trusts his linemen. He's fast and he can slip through a little crack, so they do a good job of working together. That offensive line, traditionally and over the years, they do a good job."
On defensive line substitutions: "It's talked about, flexible by situation, by personnel group, the answer is all of the above. Anytime we need to do anything, we can. We built it that way from day one, if you remember Coach Allen and myself saying, the best way to play defensive line is to get a whole bunch of them, keep them fresh, roll them in and go from there. We've gotten better at that as we've gone through, both players making more plays and the guys working together."
On Miles Burris: "Miles loves contact and loves football, like we've said from day one. The guys respond to him because when he makes as mistake, he really wants to know how to get it right and rarely does he repeat the mistake. Even in the game last week, he was a little shallow on a drop early in the game, on a pass drop early in the game, the next time he gets underneath it and forces the ball high and Mike Huff knocks the ball away. The same type-feel he corrects 10 plays later. Those are the things that, number one, make you a great teammate and a great player, because it's not perfect all the time, the first time, but you can get it right as you continue through. Miles is doing that."
On if he thought Burris would be this good this early: "You don't know as a rookie…What did I think? I thought Miles was as football player and I was very excited when he was still on the board when we were drafting that he was there with that pick because I wasn't sure he was going to be. And we liked his position flexibility and we liked how when you turned on the college film, it's the same thing you see now. He is chasing the football. He loves it. When you do that, those are the guys you're excited for, those are the guys you want to build around, and those are the guys where you go, 'you know what? I don't know if he's going to do it or not, but I bet he does.'"
On if guys like Burris and Lamarr Houston effect the rest of the defense: "I answered one question here a couple of weeks ago – it's 11 guys' job to run to the ball. That is defensive football and that's great defensive football. You have to search, hunt, whatever word you prefer, the football. That's your job. That's what great defenses do. When a guy makes a great hustle play though, which Lamarr has made a couple already, Miles has made some, Phil [Wheeler], our safeties, I'm just naming a few, there's other guys have made…Joselio has made a few…the more and more you make of those plays, it does become infectious and that's what gets defenses rolling. So is it infectious? Yes, it is and that's where we want to go."
On Aaron Curry: "Curry is moving around well. He's improved each week."
On if Curry is where he expected: "I'm just watching him day by day and hoping to help him get where he needs to get to help us. I really just watch him, help him. He's done a good job studying and so just mentally and physically hoping he can help us whenever Coach Allen and Reggie [McKenzie] make that decision."
On Curry's improvement: "He's handled the defensive stuff pretty well. He's handled defensive calls pretty well. The only way to get better at playing football is playing football. The only way to get in football shape is moving around. This rule has been good since they've had it in that these guys get a period where they can work with the team before just being thrown in. One week of practice before you go into live bullets can be pretty crazy."
On balancing getting current active players reps and also Curry: "He takes reps in both phases, but yes, you have to manage it. You say, 'okay, how many scout team reps is he going to get? Where can we get him in to start getting him the defensive reps?' He's done a good job with both."
