bgguitarman
09-01-2005, 01:33 PM
Q&A with DICK VERMEIL
Sep 01, 2005, 2:13:42 PM
Q: How do you feel about Trent’s situation?
DICK VERMEIL: “I’m relieved. It’s nice to know he’s ready to play.”
Q: Is this the most relieved you’ve been as a head coach?
VERMEIL: “We’ve had a lot of different little things go on through mini-camps, OTAs and training camps — little injuries here, 24 guys on the injured list who can’t play. Then all of a sudden, it’s your quarterback and it’s your second quarterback and your third quarterback, you say where does it end? Well, maybe it ended when they said Trent will be fine.”
Q: Is it more for you because of how you guys feel about each other?
VERMEIL: “Oh yeah, but all players are special to me. We’ve shared the relationship a little bit longer than just here and maybe a little bit deeper. It’s a head coach’s responsibility to be concerned about all of them.”
Q: You have some decisions to make to get down to 53 players. How do you feel about your team going into this last pre-season game?
VERMEIL: “Unsure. A little bit unsure of where we are. We don’t help the guys in terms of going in to win pre-season games, but we don’t prepare to lose either. We’ve won nine pre-season games since I’ve been here and lost 11. So, it works part of the time regardless of what approach you use and so far we haven’t been able to win one using the same approach. Either that means we’re not as good a football team or the other guys did a better job of preparing his team to play the pre-season games or the other teams are better teams than the ones we’ve played in the past. It doesn’t make any difference until we play the first three games of the season and see how we do then.”
Q: If Trent’s status was more up in the air would you have thrown more stuff at Jonathan Quinn going into this game?
VERMEIL: “We knew the other day that Trent wasn’t going to play tomorrow night. So Al (Saunders) and his staff took the approach to prepare Jonathan to play and the rookie quarterback to play. So, it’s not the same as if you were preparing Trent to play and all of a sudden found out he couldn’t.”
Q: Do you know how you’re going to divide up the time between the two quarterbacks?
VERMEIL: “I think Jonathan Quinn will play at least the first half and then Kilian will play the rest. But we might bring Jonathan out in the third quarter too.”
Q: Do you think that Todd Collins will not be ready for the season opener?
VERMEIL: “I think it’s no better than 50/50 that he’ll be ready to be the backup. But Damon Huard will be ready.”
Q: Are linebacker and wide receiver your two biggest positions of concern?
VERMEIL: “What do you mean concerned?
Q: As far as guys making the team?
VERMEIL: “It just depends how many numbers you keep. Right now we don’t have a linebacker on the field that can’t play in this league. Now, can he play for the Chiefs if we only keep seven or six? No, you can only keep so many. But I feel comfortable in saying we don’t have a linebacker that we don’t think couldn’t help somebody in the National Football League.”
Q: How many linebackers and wideouts would you like to keep?
VERMEIL: “I’d like to keep them all but they don’t let us. Probably five wide receivers on the active and seven or eight linebackers depending on where you go at other positions. When you have a roster limit whenever you go over somewhere you go under somewhere. That’s how it works. Last year we only really had 52 (players) because Kris Wilson couldn’t play (broken leg), but we carried him on the 53-man roster. So, it’s almost a luxury this time and we can actually say that we have one more defensive backs because we have the suspension of Eric Warfield. We still have him and he’ll be back.”
Q: Does he count on your 53-man roster?
VERMEIL: “No, he doesn’t count on our 53.”
Q: Is there competition for the third quarterback spot?
VERMEIL: “I don’t think so. We’re very pleased with Damon Huard and we’re pleased with the job that Jonathan Quinn has done in coming in here. We were pleased with the job he did when he was here and wished he hadn’t left. But he did and sometimes it’s hard to get that opportunity back again.”
Q: So he might be trying out for someone else Friday night?
VERMEIL: “We might be showcasing him and I hope we do. He’s got three sons and he and wife Casey also have a little girl. They have four mouths to feed and they live here in Overland Park and it was very convenient for him.”
Q: You had talked about Kendrell Bell and what he does in practice. Are you kind of anxious to see what he can actually do on the field in a game?
VERMEIL: “I know what he can do. There’s no question when he’s healthy. I’m anxious to see what he can do in the game in regard to overcoming some injuries and an extensive rehab program. I don’t question his ability to play.”
Q: Does the same question apply to Freddie Mitchell?
VERMEIL: “Nah, not really. Wide receiver is totally different.”
Q: Are you going to play Eric Warfield because this is the last you’re going to have him for a while?
VERMEIL: “We’ll play him, but see, he will be here the whole time. The only thing he can’t do is play in the game. He’ll be at meetings, he can work out, but he can’t practice with the team. But he can do everything else.”
Q: Given those limitations where on your list of concerns is how he’s going to be when he returns?
VERMEIL: “I think he’ll come back a little rusty but he’s talked about paying young receivers to come over and run routes against him. So he’s very serious about these four weeks off.”
Sep 01, 2005, 2:13:42 PM
Q: How do you feel about Trent’s situation?
DICK VERMEIL: “I’m relieved. It’s nice to know he’s ready to play.”
Q: Is this the most relieved you’ve been as a head coach?
VERMEIL: “We’ve had a lot of different little things go on through mini-camps, OTAs and training camps — little injuries here, 24 guys on the injured list who can’t play. Then all of a sudden, it’s your quarterback and it’s your second quarterback and your third quarterback, you say where does it end? Well, maybe it ended when they said Trent will be fine.”
Q: Is it more for you because of how you guys feel about each other?
VERMEIL: “Oh yeah, but all players are special to me. We’ve shared the relationship a little bit longer than just here and maybe a little bit deeper. It’s a head coach’s responsibility to be concerned about all of them.”
Q: You have some decisions to make to get down to 53 players. How do you feel about your team going into this last pre-season game?
VERMEIL: “Unsure. A little bit unsure of where we are. We don’t help the guys in terms of going in to win pre-season games, but we don’t prepare to lose either. We’ve won nine pre-season games since I’ve been here and lost 11. So, it works part of the time regardless of what approach you use and so far we haven’t been able to win one using the same approach. Either that means we’re not as good a football team or the other guys did a better job of preparing his team to play the pre-season games or the other teams are better teams than the ones we’ve played in the past. It doesn’t make any difference until we play the first three games of the season and see how we do then.”
Q: If Trent’s status was more up in the air would you have thrown more stuff at Jonathan Quinn going into this game?
VERMEIL: “We knew the other day that Trent wasn’t going to play tomorrow night. So Al (Saunders) and his staff took the approach to prepare Jonathan to play and the rookie quarterback to play. So, it’s not the same as if you were preparing Trent to play and all of a sudden found out he couldn’t.”
Q: Do you know how you’re going to divide up the time between the two quarterbacks?
VERMEIL: “I think Jonathan Quinn will play at least the first half and then Kilian will play the rest. But we might bring Jonathan out in the third quarter too.”
Q: Do you think that Todd Collins will not be ready for the season opener?
VERMEIL: “I think it’s no better than 50/50 that he’ll be ready to be the backup. But Damon Huard will be ready.”
Q: Are linebacker and wide receiver your two biggest positions of concern?
VERMEIL: “What do you mean concerned?
Q: As far as guys making the team?
VERMEIL: “It just depends how many numbers you keep. Right now we don’t have a linebacker on the field that can’t play in this league. Now, can he play for the Chiefs if we only keep seven or six? No, you can only keep so many. But I feel comfortable in saying we don’t have a linebacker that we don’t think couldn’t help somebody in the National Football League.”
Q: How many linebackers and wideouts would you like to keep?
VERMEIL: “I’d like to keep them all but they don’t let us. Probably five wide receivers on the active and seven or eight linebackers depending on where you go at other positions. When you have a roster limit whenever you go over somewhere you go under somewhere. That’s how it works. Last year we only really had 52 (players) because Kris Wilson couldn’t play (broken leg), but we carried him on the 53-man roster. So, it’s almost a luxury this time and we can actually say that we have one more defensive backs because we have the suspension of Eric Warfield. We still have him and he’ll be back.”
Q: Does he count on your 53-man roster?
VERMEIL: “No, he doesn’t count on our 53.”
Q: Is there competition for the third quarterback spot?
VERMEIL: “I don’t think so. We’re very pleased with Damon Huard and we’re pleased with the job that Jonathan Quinn has done in coming in here. We were pleased with the job he did when he was here and wished he hadn’t left. But he did and sometimes it’s hard to get that opportunity back again.”
Q: So he might be trying out for someone else Friday night?
VERMEIL: “We might be showcasing him and I hope we do. He’s got three sons and he and wife Casey also have a little girl. They have four mouths to feed and they live here in Overland Park and it was very convenient for him.”
Q: You had talked about Kendrell Bell and what he does in practice. Are you kind of anxious to see what he can actually do on the field in a game?
VERMEIL: “I know what he can do. There’s no question when he’s healthy. I’m anxious to see what he can do in the game in regard to overcoming some injuries and an extensive rehab program. I don’t question his ability to play.”
Q: Does the same question apply to Freddie Mitchell?
VERMEIL: “Nah, not really. Wide receiver is totally different.”
Q: Are you going to play Eric Warfield because this is the last you’re going to have him for a while?
VERMEIL: “We’ll play him, but see, he will be here the whole time. The only thing he can’t do is play in the game. He’ll be at meetings, he can work out, but he can’t practice with the team. But he can do everything else.”
Q: Given those limitations where on your list of concerns is how he’s going to be when he returns?
VERMEIL: “I think he’ll come back a little rusty but he’s talked about paying young receivers to come over and run routes against him. So he’s very serious about these four weeks off.”