Wile_E_Coyote
12-10-2004, 03:32 PM
Q&A QB Trent Green
Dec 10, 2004, 2:31:04 PM
Q: Are you going to practice today? Do you feel better than last week?
GREEN: “Yep, that’s the plan. So much better. Night and day, night and day. At this time last week I was having a hard time doing day-to-day functions, let alone play football. I feel a lot better.”
Q: Is the Tennessee defense similar to what they were like when Gunther Cunningham was there?
GREEN: “Yeah, I think so. He was there – their coordinator is the same (Jim Schwartz), so the system has stayed the same. Their personnel has stayed the same. I’ve asked him some questions, but obviously there will be some new schemes and new things they prepare for us.
They have been hit by injuries as of late, so there are three or four rookies that are playing that he didn’t have any influence on. There are some things different, but there is quite a bit the same.”
Q: Will having Gunther in your court help since he is familiar with what they like to do?
GREEN: “I think that goes both ways. Obviously they’re going to know what Gunther likes to do and how to attack him. The reverse of that is
Gunther is going to know what they like to do and is going to be able to scheme to attack that. It’s going to be whoever comes up with the best stuff during the week of preparation in terms of offsetting tendencies and getting away from what you would normally do because obviously there’s a lot of familiarity with one another.”
Q: Has Tony Gonzalez being double and triple-teamed effected the way the offense works, especially with the attention he got in Oakland last weekend?
GREEN: “Tony’s been battling that all year and then finding ways to get open. We’ve had to find more and more ways to get him the ball. If you’re going to commit two and sometimes three guys to Tony then you’re going to leave some guys in a one-on-one situation. Fortunately last week in out one-on-one situations we were able to win. We were productive in our passing game concerning the running backs. Our checkdowns to Larry (Johnson) and Derrick (Blaylock) did very well. T-Rich had a big third-down conversion on a checkdown, so you’re going to leave guys in a one-on-one situation when you commit that many guys to one person. As frustrating as it is to Tony, it’s my job to try to figure out where those one-on-one match ups are and take advantage of them.”
Q: Can you talk about Larry Johnson and the running back situation?
GREEN: “They’re all three so different, when you look at Derrick, Priest and Larry. Larry’s bigger than the other two. The thing about Priest and
Derrick is their size; they all have a little different running style, but because Larry is a bigger runner he tends to be a more powerful runner and more of a downhill-type runner. If you saw last week when he was able to get on the edge, he was able to show some good speed and good separation. Especially the checkdown pass he caught over the middle, made the guy miss and then ran away from a couple other linebackers. I would definitely classify his style as a little more downhill, a little more physical.”
Q: It seems like he could fit that mold of the big, power back.
GREEN: “He definitely could. When you look at some of the bigger backs that have played in the league, he fits that mold. I don’t know if you’re going to get (offensive coordinator) Al Saunders to be that kind of grind it out, pound ‘em-type play calling, but he is somebody that can run well between the tackles.”
Q: How has the transition been with the two new backs taking over Priest’s carries?
GREEN: “I didn’t have a whole lot of work with Derrick prior to him getting a lot of playing time either. The same goes for Larry. It’s kind of on the fly. You get some work in training camp because there are so many guys rotating through but once the season starts, you’re pretty much going with the guys that are in there. Larry’s done a good job. He’s been given different opportunities throughout the season and he’s improved every time. He’s improved in not only his running, his blocking, his protection, his confidence. So I think as those things grow and he gets better, it will only help the team.”
Q: Have you talked to Priest at all since he’s been hurt?
GREEN: “I’ve talked to him a couple times. He’s kind of down, having been through a couple knee injuries himself in the past. I’ve been through a knee injury, but most of the stuff we talked about was mainly what’s going on inside the knee, courses of rehab and different things I did, different things he’s done, different opinions he’s gotten. Mainly just to try to talk to him because when you’re hurt it’s hard. As much as you’re in the locker room, it’s still hard to feel like you’re in it because you’re not in the huddle, you’re not in the walk-throughs, you’re not on the flight to and from games. That separation is tough.
And Priest is a pretty private guy to begin with, so there’s not a lot that you can do to crack that or get inside and break down and have a chance to talk to him when he is around, let alone when he’s not around. When he is around and when he is going through the rehab, you just check and see how he’s doing and those kinds of things. But he is a pretty private person; I’m sure it’s tough. The physical part of it (is tough), but the mental part (is tougher). That was one of the first things I talked to Marc Boerigter about because he had never been hurt, that the mental part will be tougher than the physical in a number of ways. Whether it be missing out on the plane, missing being away from the locker room, missing the game because you have no control.
There’s a lot of things from a mental standpoint. Shawn Barber, because he’d been injured before put up a little bit of a different attitude than the other guys because he’s been through it before. You just try to communicate with those guys, let them know you’re thinking about them and understand what they’re going through.”
Q: Did he indicate anything about thinking his season was done before he went on IR?
GREEN: “He never really did. There were still a lot of questions in his mind based on what they had found out in terms of being hurt. It wasn’t responding as quickly as he had hoped. For him to come back with his hip injury he had a couple of years ago and the overcome the knee injuries he had in college and earlier in his career, he obviously has a high tolerance for pain. For him not to feel completely comfortable with the way it was going – he never gave any indication he wasn’t going to come back this year – he was a little worried with the progress he was making. He was just hoping to go at a faster rate than what it was. That’s anybody. They told me it would be a year out, (and I thought) ‘No, it’ll eight months.’ Marc’s like seven weeks out and he asked his doctor last week in Colorado, ‘Can I start running?’ and was like, ‘You’re seven weeks out, what are you talking about?’ So everybody’s that way, they want to get back faster than what is sometimes the best thing to do. To answer your question, he was just getting frustrated with how long it was taking.”
Q: Did you get to speak with him yesterday when he was placed on IR?
GREEN: “Not really. I just saw him for the first time yesterday and he was busy upstairs getting papers signed, getting put on IR and all that. He had to deal with that and I understand he’s going to come out and talk to you guys next so he’ll be able to answer a lot more than I can. Hopefully, he’s going to be around to do some of his rehab here. I know, obviously his family is down in Texas, but we want him around as much as possible.”
Q: With what you’ve seen from Tennessee’s defense last week against Indianapolis, do you expect them to run the same kind of scheme against your offense?
GREEN: “They do quite a bit of different things. And we’ve faced defenses like that this year, where they kind of change up week to week. The thing with Indianapolis is they spread things out with three wide receivers, throw the ball 80 percent of the time, whereas we’re probably as balanced as anyone in the league in terms of our percentage of run and pass. So what we’ve tried to do is we’ve studied that film but we try not to rely on it too much. There are some teams with tendencies more similar to ours that we try and study those more. With all the rookies they have and some of their younger guys that are getting experience, we’re trying to watch as much tape on them individually but also watch tape on teams that are similar in style. There has been a lot to study this week.”
Q: The chart of Larry’s runs last week started with a lot of shorter gains, then they progressively got longer as the game went on. What was responsible for that?
GREEN: “I think a lot of it had to do with his confidence in that game. The other times that he played it was spot duty here and there. Last week when he came in, he knew he’d be carrying the load and I think after he got a couple carries under his belt, you know you get hit a few times, kind of knock things loose, I think he kind of gained confidence.
Also the offensive line, Al Saunders, they all gained confidence in him and you could tell he had a little more bounce in his step. The first couple times he ran he’d get up and come back to the huddle, and as that game went on you could see a little more bounce in his step, a little more rhythm and as the game wore on his confidence was growing – not only in the running game but passing as well.”
Q: Is there another runner you would compare Larry with, maybe Terry Allen or Stephen Davis when you were in Washington?
GREEN: “I guess he’d be more like a Stephen Davis. Terry Allen was more like a Priest kind of stature in terms of height and size. I played with Anthony Thompson in college (at Indiana), and in terms of height and size is more of an inside, power type of runner and Stephen is that kind of runner.”
Dec 10, 2004, 2:31:04 PM
Q: Are you going to practice today? Do you feel better than last week?
GREEN: “Yep, that’s the plan. So much better. Night and day, night and day. At this time last week I was having a hard time doing day-to-day functions, let alone play football. I feel a lot better.”
Q: Is the Tennessee defense similar to what they were like when Gunther Cunningham was there?
GREEN: “Yeah, I think so. He was there – their coordinator is the same (Jim Schwartz), so the system has stayed the same. Their personnel has stayed the same. I’ve asked him some questions, but obviously there will be some new schemes and new things they prepare for us.
They have been hit by injuries as of late, so there are three or four rookies that are playing that he didn’t have any influence on. There are some things different, but there is quite a bit the same.”
Q: Will having Gunther in your court help since he is familiar with what they like to do?
GREEN: “I think that goes both ways. Obviously they’re going to know what Gunther likes to do and how to attack him. The reverse of that is
Gunther is going to know what they like to do and is going to be able to scheme to attack that. It’s going to be whoever comes up with the best stuff during the week of preparation in terms of offsetting tendencies and getting away from what you would normally do because obviously there’s a lot of familiarity with one another.”
Q: Has Tony Gonzalez being double and triple-teamed effected the way the offense works, especially with the attention he got in Oakland last weekend?
GREEN: “Tony’s been battling that all year and then finding ways to get open. We’ve had to find more and more ways to get him the ball. If you’re going to commit two and sometimes three guys to Tony then you’re going to leave some guys in a one-on-one situation. Fortunately last week in out one-on-one situations we were able to win. We were productive in our passing game concerning the running backs. Our checkdowns to Larry (Johnson) and Derrick (Blaylock) did very well. T-Rich had a big third-down conversion on a checkdown, so you’re going to leave guys in a one-on-one situation when you commit that many guys to one person. As frustrating as it is to Tony, it’s my job to try to figure out where those one-on-one match ups are and take advantage of them.”
Q: Can you talk about Larry Johnson and the running back situation?
GREEN: “They’re all three so different, when you look at Derrick, Priest and Larry. Larry’s bigger than the other two. The thing about Priest and
Derrick is their size; they all have a little different running style, but because Larry is a bigger runner he tends to be a more powerful runner and more of a downhill-type runner. If you saw last week when he was able to get on the edge, he was able to show some good speed and good separation. Especially the checkdown pass he caught over the middle, made the guy miss and then ran away from a couple other linebackers. I would definitely classify his style as a little more downhill, a little more physical.”
Q: It seems like he could fit that mold of the big, power back.
GREEN: “He definitely could. When you look at some of the bigger backs that have played in the league, he fits that mold. I don’t know if you’re going to get (offensive coordinator) Al Saunders to be that kind of grind it out, pound ‘em-type play calling, but he is somebody that can run well between the tackles.”
Q: How has the transition been with the two new backs taking over Priest’s carries?
GREEN: “I didn’t have a whole lot of work with Derrick prior to him getting a lot of playing time either. The same goes for Larry. It’s kind of on the fly. You get some work in training camp because there are so many guys rotating through but once the season starts, you’re pretty much going with the guys that are in there. Larry’s done a good job. He’s been given different opportunities throughout the season and he’s improved every time. He’s improved in not only his running, his blocking, his protection, his confidence. So I think as those things grow and he gets better, it will only help the team.”
Q: Have you talked to Priest at all since he’s been hurt?
GREEN: “I’ve talked to him a couple times. He’s kind of down, having been through a couple knee injuries himself in the past. I’ve been through a knee injury, but most of the stuff we talked about was mainly what’s going on inside the knee, courses of rehab and different things I did, different things he’s done, different opinions he’s gotten. Mainly just to try to talk to him because when you’re hurt it’s hard. As much as you’re in the locker room, it’s still hard to feel like you’re in it because you’re not in the huddle, you’re not in the walk-throughs, you’re not on the flight to and from games. That separation is tough.
And Priest is a pretty private guy to begin with, so there’s not a lot that you can do to crack that or get inside and break down and have a chance to talk to him when he is around, let alone when he’s not around. When he is around and when he is going through the rehab, you just check and see how he’s doing and those kinds of things. But he is a pretty private person; I’m sure it’s tough. The physical part of it (is tough), but the mental part (is tougher). That was one of the first things I talked to Marc Boerigter about because he had never been hurt, that the mental part will be tougher than the physical in a number of ways. Whether it be missing out on the plane, missing being away from the locker room, missing the game because you have no control.
There’s a lot of things from a mental standpoint. Shawn Barber, because he’d been injured before put up a little bit of a different attitude than the other guys because he’s been through it before. You just try to communicate with those guys, let them know you’re thinking about them and understand what they’re going through.”
Q: Did he indicate anything about thinking his season was done before he went on IR?
GREEN: “He never really did. There were still a lot of questions in his mind based on what they had found out in terms of being hurt. It wasn’t responding as quickly as he had hoped. For him to come back with his hip injury he had a couple of years ago and the overcome the knee injuries he had in college and earlier in his career, he obviously has a high tolerance for pain. For him not to feel completely comfortable with the way it was going – he never gave any indication he wasn’t going to come back this year – he was a little worried with the progress he was making. He was just hoping to go at a faster rate than what it was. That’s anybody. They told me it would be a year out, (and I thought) ‘No, it’ll eight months.’ Marc’s like seven weeks out and he asked his doctor last week in Colorado, ‘Can I start running?’ and was like, ‘You’re seven weeks out, what are you talking about?’ So everybody’s that way, they want to get back faster than what is sometimes the best thing to do. To answer your question, he was just getting frustrated with how long it was taking.”
Q: Did you get to speak with him yesterday when he was placed on IR?
GREEN: “Not really. I just saw him for the first time yesterday and he was busy upstairs getting papers signed, getting put on IR and all that. He had to deal with that and I understand he’s going to come out and talk to you guys next so he’ll be able to answer a lot more than I can. Hopefully, he’s going to be around to do some of his rehab here. I know, obviously his family is down in Texas, but we want him around as much as possible.”
Q: With what you’ve seen from Tennessee’s defense last week against Indianapolis, do you expect them to run the same kind of scheme against your offense?
GREEN: “They do quite a bit of different things. And we’ve faced defenses like that this year, where they kind of change up week to week. The thing with Indianapolis is they spread things out with three wide receivers, throw the ball 80 percent of the time, whereas we’re probably as balanced as anyone in the league in terms of our percentage of run and pass. So what we’ve tried to do is we’ve studied that film but we try not to rely on it too much. There are some teams with tendencies more similar to ours that we try and study those more. With all the rookies they have and some of their younger guys that are getting experience, we’re trying to watch as much tape on them individually but also watch tape on teams that are similar in style. There has been a lot to study this week.”
Q: The chart of Larry’s runs last week started with a lot of shorter gains, then they progressively got longer as the game went on. What was responsible for that?
GREEN: “I think a lot of it had to do with his confidence in that game. The other times that he played it was spot duty here and there. Last week when he came in, he knew he’d be carrying the load and I think after he got a couple carries under his belt, you know you get hit a few times, kind of knock things loose, I think he kind of gained confidence.
Also the offensive line, Al Saunders, they all gained confidence in him and you could tell he had a little more bounce in his step. The first couple times he ran he’d get up and come back to the huddle, and as that game went on you could see a little more bounce in his step, a little more rhythm and as the game wore on his confidence was growing – not only in the running game but passing as well.”
Q: Is there another runner you would compare Larry with, maybe Terry Allen or Stephen Davis when you were in Washington?
GREEN: “I guess he’d be more like a Stephen Davis. Terry Allen was more like a Priest kind of stature in terms of height and size. I played with Anthony Thompson in college (at Indiana), and in terms of height and size is more of an inside, power type of runner and Stephen is that kind of runner.”