tk13
12-26-2005, 04:11 PM
Here's a few excerpts.... Looks like Palmer and Deltha O'Neal are banged up... hard telling if Marvin Lewis is going to sit anybody though...
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=4958
Opening comments:
ML: Our guys that have been out really have improved considerably, Chris Perry and Carl Powell are better, and Bryan Robinson will be out of the cast and is probably at least a week, maybe two away. And then Marcus Wilkins and Reggie Kelly, both who we held out last game, should be improved. We’ll make those decisions at the week goes on. And the couple guys that got injured yesterday, Deltha O’Neal has a bruise in the knee, and then Carson Palmer with a groin. Both guys didn’t seem to be real bad today, and the time, the extra day, will help both those guys.
Q: You said you think Bryan Robinson’s a week or two away:
ML: I think Bryan’s at least another week. This week, depending on how he holds up, doing some stuff, some rehab work on his feet and on his foot, I guess. Putting the stress back on it to see how it holds up.
Q: So everybody else is eligible to play and you are keeping that option open?
ML: That’s right.
Q: The Bills came in with the worst run defense in the league, but you didn’t run Rudi Johnson at all in the fourth quarter:
ML: Oh yes, we did. We has a seven-yard ball out there to Chad and a seven-yard to Kevin Walter that were both runs. And only nine plays in the fourth quarter. So yes, we did and we picked up first downs on both those plays when it was second and three, second and seven.
Q: So those were Rudi runs then?
ML: Those were Rudi runs, just like when we roll up 400 yards, those are all part of the deal. And it’s part of the program. It doesn’t matter how we gain them, it’s just a matter of we gaining the yards to get the first downs. And it doesn’t matter which player does it.
Q: With the No. 2 seed settled now, would you consider resting some of your key players?
ML: We’ll see what happens. We’ll play to win the game.
Q: Is it important to go into the playoffs not with a two-game losing streak?
ML: I don’t know. It’s important for us to play better football than we played last Sunday. That’s what’s important.
Q: Looks like you’ll wind up playing either Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, or K.C. at home in the first round:
ML: I think that was the same scenario we had going into last week. So it’s not changed. Nothing’s really changed. I wish he hadn’t lost the football game, but we did. And we’re going to learn from it and were going to get better. We’re going to play, as you said, either the Steelers, the Jaguars, or the Chiefs again. So we’re going to work on getting better this week. We’ve got to play better then we did on Sunday in all three phases. It left a sour taste in my mouth and our players’ and coaches’ mouths. We’re going to get it out of there this week.
Q: There have been four picks against Carson in the last two weeks. Are teams throwing a bunch of junk at him in the secondaries to try to confuse him?
ML: I think the first ball the other day, he just kind of hung up a little bit and the wind, and Troy (Vincent) made a nice play on it. And I think the ball at the end of the game in the flat was out of frustration, and something he can't do. I can't really remember the Detroit interceptions. I know on one, we’re trying to stick the ball in on the sideline and Dre Bly goes up and makes a great play.
Q: Does it go through your mind, ‘I’d rather play the Jags or the Steelers’?
ML: I don’t think anything more than let’s play the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. And that’s important, this is a good football team. They're explosive with the guys they have on their offensive team. They’ve got a great front group, an opportunistic secondary, with a couple guys who play the ball well. They're a football team fighting to get into the playoffs, so we know we’re going to get their best shot. They got a great returner in Dante Hall. We know how good he is. They have a great home-field advantage they’ve enjoyed over the years in the NFL.
Q: You mentioned, after the win in Detroit and you won the division, there were still other things to play for, the biggest being the bye and getting that No. 2 seed. Now that’s by the board. Do you have other goals to refocus them on?
ML: We’ve just got to play better. That’s number one goal. We’ve got a game left on the schedule, and we’ll go out and play this football game to get better. And guys have got to compete and play and get better.
Q: Do you think special teams tried too hard Saturday?
ML: I don’t know if they tried too hard. I just felt like we didn’t get off blocks and make tackles. That’s going to be a key component this week against this returner. Our fits were decent last week, but we’ve got to get off the block and finish the play. Shayne did a good job kicking off, other than the first one. And it worked out well, so we had the ball up there, the height, and so forth, on the kickoff returns, but we’ve got to do a better job of separating and getting off and making tackles. And that was not our best effort at that.
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=4958
Opening comments:
ML: Our guys that have been out really have improved considerably, Chris Perry and Carl Powell are better, and Bryan Robinson will be out of the cast and is probably at least a week, maybe two away. And then Marcus Wilkins and Reggie Kelly, both who we held out last game, should be improved. We’ll make those decisions at the week goes on. And the couple guys that got injured yesterday, Deltha O’Neal has a bruise in the knee, and then Carson Palmer with a groin. Both guys didn’t seem to be real bad today, and the time, the extra day, will help both those guys.
Q: You said you think Bryan Robinson’s a week or two away:
ML: I think Bryan’s at least another week. This week, depending on how he holds up, doing some stuff, some rehab work on his feet and on his foot, I guess. Putting the stress back on it to see how it holds up.
Q: So everybody else is eligible to play and you are keeping that option open?
ML: That’s right.
Q: The Bills came in with the worst run defense in the league, but you didn’t run Rudi Johnson at all in the fourth quarter:
ML: Oh yes, we did. We has a seven-yard ball out there to Chad and a seven-yard to Kevin Walter that were both runs. And only nine plays in the fourth quarter. So yes, we did and we picked up first downs on both those plays when it was second and three, second and seven.
Q: So those were Rudi runs then?
ML: Those were Rudi runs, just like when we roll up 400 yards, those are all part of the deal. And it’s part of the program. It doesn’t matter how we gain them, it’s just a matter of we gaining the yards to get the first downs. And it doesn’t matter which player does it.
Q: With the No. 2 seed settled now, would you consider resting some of your key players?
ML: We’ll see what happens. We’ll play to win the game.
Q: Is it important to go into the playoffs not with a two-game losing streak?
ML: I don’t know. It’s important for us to play better football than we played last Sunday. That’s what’s important.
Q: Looks like you’ll wind up playing either Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, or K.C. at home in the first round:
ML: I think that was the same scenario we had going into last week. So it’s not changed. Nothing’s really changed. I wish he hadn’t lost the football game, but we did. And we’re going to learn from it and were going to get better. We’re going to play, as you said, either the Steelers, the Jaguars, or the Chiefs again. So we’re going to work on getting better this week. We’ve got to play better then we did on Sunday in all three phases. It left a sour taste in my mouth and our players’ and coaches’ mouths. We’re going to get it out of there this week.
Q: There have been four picks against Carson in the last two weeks. Are teams throwing a bunch of junk at him in the secondaries to try to confuse him?
ML: I think the first ball the other day, he just kind of hung up a little bit and the wind, and Troy (Vincent) made a nice play on it. And I think the ball at the end of the game in the flat was out of frustration, and something he can't do. I can't really remember the Detroit interceptions. I know on one, we’re trying to stick the ball in on the sideline and Dre Bly goes up and makes a great play.
Q: Does it go through your mind, ‘I’d rather play the Jags or the Steelers’?
ML: I don’t think anything more than let’s play the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. And that’s important, this is a good football team. They're explosive with the guys they have on their offensive team. They’ve got a great front group, an opportunistic secondary, with a couple guys who play the ball well. They're a football team fighting to get into the playoffs, so we know we’re going to get their best shot. They got a great returner in Dante Hall. We know how good he is. They have a great home-field advantage they’ve enjoyed over the years in the NFL.
Q: You mentioned, after the win in Detroit and you won the division, there were still other things to play for, the biggest being the bye and getting that No. 2 seed. Now that’s by the board. Do you have other goals to refocus them on?
ML: We’ve just got to play better. That’s number one goal. We’ve got a game left on the schedule, and we’ll go out and play this football game to get better. And guys have got to compete and play and get better.
Q: Do you think special teams tried too hard Saturday?
ML: I don’t know if they tried too hard. I just felt like we didn’t get off blocks and make tackles. That’s going to be a key component this week against this returner. Our fits were decent last week, but we’ve got to get off the block and finish the play. Shayne did a good job kicking off, other than the first one. And it worked out well, so we had the ball up there, the height, and so forth, on the kickoff returns, but we’ve got to do a better job of separating and getting off and making tackles. And that was not our best effort at that.