BC: [We're] facing a good New England Patriots team; record speaks for itself. They've found a few different ways to win. They're able to throw it obviously. I think that's the thing that stands out. They have the ability, with the tight ends, to run the football and change the line of scrimmage. They don't just fall in one department for us. Defensively, that 3-4 front is a solid front with two bookend outside linebackers. A good bit of zone, some man-to-man. Just very solid. When I look at their front in terms of Vince Wilfork and Mike Wright and Gerard Warren, a former first round pick, just a solid, solid group that we're going to face. We'll have our hands full. Our guys are excited about the challenge. We'll kind of set the wheels in motion and start to prepare for it today.
Q: Is Brett going to do anything today? Do you have a plan for him this week?
BC: We've got a plan, but the biggest part of the plan right now is rehabbing that thing and getting it back where he's mobile.
Q: Do you expect him to play?
BC: I wouldn't put it past him. He's going to make the push like all of our guys do to Sunday. It's work for a lot of our guys to get to the point where they feel like they can [play]. But I don't have any crystal ball or anything like that. Obviously he's still in a boot right now.
Q: Would it have even been a question [about playing] if it were anybody else?
BC: Just based on what I've seen, him moving around, I'd say yeah. Whether it's one of your quarterbacks or one of your wide receivers moving around the way he's moving right now, yeah.
Q: With Brett being Brett, how much of the decision will be his and how much yours?
BC: You have to weigh both; what he's telling you [and your opinion]. I've said before, sometimes you have to protect people from themselves as well.
Q: Based on the MRI, how severe was the fracture?
BC: You're talking to the wrong guy to rate severity. I just know how they were advertised to me and the words they used. I didn't use any words that weren't said to me.
Q: It wasn't a like a moderate fracture or severe fracture?
BC: I think I gave you the words the other day: avulsion fracture and stress fracture were the two words that were told to me.
Q: What day of the week would you like to make the decision?
BC: Yesterday. Obviously that's not in the cards here. It's an evolving situation.
Q: Will you have him out there today at all?
BC: He may come out. He may wander out but he's going to spend the lion's share of the stuff, he was at the walk-through, treating.
Q: There was a report that he visited Dr. Andrews. Did that shed any light on anything?
BC: He was here all day yesterday. Our doctors share with their doctors and you can do a lot of things over a computer.
Q: He didn't make the trip down to see him?
BC: No.
Q: Will his past performance have anything to do with your decision?
BC: It's an all-encompassing thing. It's everything when you make that decision. Right now we're looking at, physically, is he able to get there.
Q: Physically is it more than just mobility? What about his ability to plant and drive and throw accurately?
BC: All of the above. All of the physical things that you have to be able to do. Number one to protect yourself back there so that you're not some kind of a sitting duck. We talked the other day about Donovan McNabb playing the whole second half of a game against Arizona with a broken ankle. Some of your other instincts picked up sometimes as a quarterback. He actually played very well in the second half. But had we had known, I'm not sure we would have proceeded that way.
Q: How would you assess his mobility in the first six games?
BC: Not like Michael Vick's, but few people do have that. You just want to have the ability to move and slide and reset yourself in the pocket, that type of thing.
Q: Is he going to have to get on the field practice-wise or will there be some other type of session?
BC: You'll be able to see that, just some of the movement specific things that he has to do specific to his position.
Q: During practice, or something else?
BC: Probably not a practice format, I wouldn't think. Before you put him on the practice field you have to graduate him through this mandated treatment process. Some of it's the functional strength and the functional movement that goes with the position.
Q: Are you going to need to see him practice before he can play Sunday?
BC: I'm going to need to see some movement skills to indicate that he can do that.
Q: What's your opinion of Tavaris Jackson's readiness?
BC: He's as ready as he's ever going to be, aside from having lots and lots of turns. As I've said before, he's taken more than most backup quarterbacks. That's just how we did it last year and this year. Aside from having 100 starts, he's as ready as he'll ever be.
Q: There was a report yesterday that you were fined $35K for your comments on the officiating. Is that something that you thought was a bit high?
BC: It really doesn't matter what I think. Sometimes you pay a price for speaking what you believe to be the truth.
Q: Looking back would you still say that based on what you saw?
BC: I'd go with what I just said.
Q: Is Husain Abdullah going to make it back this week?
BC: He was out there for the walk-through today. We don't see any ill effects. He's passed all of his neurological things, his exercise challenge, that type of thing.
Q: Are you surprised by the lack of sacks that your team has?
BC: It's more are you pressuring the quarterback. Would I like to have more sacks? Yes I would, but you look at other things too. Are you forcing to guy to move around and throw the ball errantly? Are you able to hit him? Are you able to pressure him? Typically those sacks come in waves. Would we catch a good wave? We'll see. This is a solid front we're playing this week, in terms of inside and both the tackles. We'll have our hands full this week as well. In answer, would I like to see more? Yeah, I'd love to see more, by anybody. It doesn't have to be a defensive end. Might be a linebacker, might be a safety. Not a bad thing to put the quarterback on the ground with the ball.
Q: Looking at the tape you got a lot of pressure on Tony Romo. Did you get enough pressure during the Packer game?
BC: I think the thing that probably stands out is we pressure him, we allowed him to escape a couple times. With a more athletic quarterback that's an issue; where he can get out and see. We did make him throw it errantly a few times, hit him a few times. Not as many times as you'd like to, to be able to change a lot of throws, that type of thing.
Q: What has held Randy Moss back so far?
BC: I don't know that he's been held back. I would say he's seeing a good bit of people over the top of him. He's seeing a bunch of two safeties, a corner short and a safety deep type of defenses. I don't feel like he's being held back right now.
Q: How often does what you see of the Patriots' defense on film actually translate to what they show the next week?
BC: It's a great question and it's one that we kind of lived first-hand when we played them in the Super Bowl (vs. Philadelphia Eagles). You prepare for 3-4 and they play even with two guys standing in the A gaps. They're doing some of that now. It's a multiple defense. He has the ability to play two defensive linemen and the rest linebackers in there. You're going to get unscouted looks. Primarily they're lining up with a 3-4 look. They have the ability to play a four-down package by putting their outside linebackers on the ground. You have to prepare for a number of different looks.
Q: Can you get more unscouted looks with the Patriots versus other teams?
BC: You can. Wholesale-wise they do some different things. The illusion as they list the depth chart is 3-4, but they can kick it and play even just as easily if they feel like they need to.
Q: With the coverage Randy is getting, do you feel like other people are getting open?
BC: I do. Obviously Percy's had a few good games and good looks at the football. Shiancoe's obviously spiked up here last week. You can't serve all those masters in there. If somebody's getting doubled, it means somebody's singled usually.
Q: Can you talk about Percy's play the last couple of weeks? He seems rejuvenated after so much went on in the offseason.
BC: First of all I feel like he's in good shape. He's in football playing shape right now. He's doing a variety of different things, which he's good at. Whether he's in the backfield or he's playing in the slot or he's playing outside. I think he's got a decent feel for what he's doing. He can go full speed. He's not thinking about much. You see that at practice and practice is carried over to the games.
Q: When guys go back to play their former teams, they sometimes get overexcited. Is Moss the type of guy you have to do that with or do you not even bother having that conversation?
BC: He's very articulate. He spent time with our coaches yesterday and did a great job with both our offense and defensive coaches.
Q: As far as trying to help you prepare for the Patriots?
BC: Yes.
Q: Favre's streak is such a unique circumstance. Do you look at things like that at all?
BC: I think I said it the other day. We'll do what's best for us to win the football game on Sunday. That's hands down what my motives will be.
Q: Did you ever think how you would handle the type of situation about ending his streak when you first pursued him?
BC: You really don't go get a guy and focus about what the end play is, how he's going to die. That would be a little morbid, wouldn't it? You're talking about what's going to finish. We're talking about a streak, a number, and statistics.
Q: Did Moss give you more than most guys when playing a former team? Is he that football savvy?
BC: He is. He did a good job. You never know what you're going to get and how they have to play him. He at least had some insightfulness on both sides.
