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Opening statement**: "Obviously, we're a little bit more – you know, still not 100 percent in full game-plan mode. There's still some things that we're trying to work on from a training camp standpoint. But a lot of our focus and attention's been turned to Green Bay. We obviously have a huge challenge playing those guys at their place. They're a very opportunistic defense. They've added some pieces on their defense. Obviously, anytime you add a guy like Julius Peppers, that causes some concern, and they've been opportunistic in their secondary in being able to take the football away. They're an aggressive defense. Offensively, arguably they're one of the best offenses in the league. I think they were a top-10 offense both in running the ball and in throwing the ball last year. The quarterback is a tremendous player and they've got good skill position players to get the ball to. It'll create a great challenge for our defense and it will be a good barometer to where we're at."
Q: Derek Carr practiced today. Is that a good sign that he will play on Friday?
Coach Allen:"Yeah, whether he plays or not hadn't been determined, but he was out there on a limited basis today. The signs are that he's getting better."
Q: Is he going to need extra padding around his ribs?
Coach Allen:"You know, I don't know. We may put extra pads on there, but that's really not the concern in mind right now."
Q: Marcel Reece was in a boot. Is his injury a little more severe than you originally thought?
Coach Allen:"Well, I don't think we know exactly what the injury is right now. We're going through the process of trying to determine exactly what he's got going on there. He did not practice today. We'll see where he's at for the game."
Q: So has he had an MRI and all of that stuff?
Coach Allen:"He's going to have an MRI, yes."
Q: It's his foot?
Coach Allen:"Yes."
Q: What is the status of Brice Butler?
Coach Allen:"Brice Butler is another guy that got a concussion. I'm not sure exactly when that occurred, but he was complaining of those type of symptoms so we pulled him out of everything."
Q: DJ Hayden was doing more than we had seen him do, like lateral moves and some cutting. Has there been some progress there?
Coach Allen:"Yeah, there's been progress. I hadn't had the chance to talk with [head athletic trainer] H. Rod [Martin] to see exactly what they were able to do today, but he's been making progress. Obviously, getting some field work in, being able to do some cutting, that's a good sign. I still don't know exactly what that timetable is going to be for his return. So, we'll see how he does this week and we'll kind of go from there."
Q: What have you seen from Menelik Watson?
Coach Allen: "He's very much improved. I've seen a lot of good things out of Menelik, both in the pass game and in the run game. I think the way he attacked the offseason and the way he's attacked it throughout training camp, I've seen a little bit of a different mindset from him. He's very focused. He's into it, and he's continuing to get a lot better. So, I'm real happy with what I'm seeing out of Menelik." Q: Do you think the offense is a pretty confident unit right now, or do they need to go out against Green Bay and put a couple of balls in the end zone and get some momentum?
Coach Allen:"That's a two-part question. Do I think it's a confident group? Yes, I do. Do I think we need to be able to go out and execute and make some plays? Yeah, I think that's something that we'd all like to see, is a little bit more consistency, I guess, would probably be the right term for what I am looking for from us offensively, because like you said, we've gone and we've made some plays and we've done some nice things. We just haven't been as consistent as we need to be. This would be a good week to get better at that."
Q: Do you anticipate seeing more progress from the quarterback position, specifically Matt Schaub?
Coach Allen: "I like where he's at. I seem to get that question a lot, but I am confident with where we're at offensively. I know our group is confident with where we're at. I know Matt Schaub is confident with where he's at. Do we need to improve? Yeah, we have to get better in some areas. We have to continue to work. That's what training camp is all about. That's what these preseason games are all about. So yeah, I feel good about where we're at."
Q: Charles Woodson talked yesterday about having a different approach to playing free safety and he credited Marcus Robertson with helping him. Do you think that having Marcus Robertson back there has been a productive dynamic?
Coach Allen: "Yeah, I think that's been great. I think anytime you have a guy that has played the position and played the position at a high level, there is a little bit of a – I guess I would call it – a respect factor that comes into that. He has a great demeanor with them. He is very demanding on them, but the guys have really taken to him and done a good job of trying to do the things that he is asking them to do. They believe in the things that he is teaching, so yeah, I think that's been a positive. I think really all the new coaches that we've brought in have been very positive for our football team."
