Coach Dick Jauron - After PM Practice

COACH DICK JAURON
PM Practice August 7, 2007
On the timing of the rain…
It was really good timing. I'm obviously glad we got it (practice) in but we got some rain too. We need the rain. We need the rain in this area, so it was good. But it was perfect, perfect timing for us.
On the whereabouts of Anthony Hargrove…
Anthony Hargrove was excused from practice and he was meeting with his lawyer. So that's what that was about. We thought he might get back in time and he thought he might, but he just missed it. He got here right at the end of our practice session. That's what happened there.
On why Dwayne Wright was not at practice…
Dwayne (Wright) had an allergic reaction to something he ate and his face was swollen so we took him to the hospital. They're going to keep him for I believe ten to twelve hours. And then we feel he'll just be released and back working tomorrow. My understanding is it occurred this morning. He's okay and that was our first concern and again, I don't think they're going to keep him overnight, but I'll have to check with Bud (Carpenter) on that.
On the whereabouts Aaron Merz…
Aaron (Merz) had an MRI on that shoulder so we should know a little bit more about that too as we move along.
On Donte Whitner's status for Friday…
There's a chance (he'll miss the game). I would say there's a chance. We're optimistic but we'll have to wait and see.
On what Jim Leonhard means to the defense…
Jim's just a tremendous player and I know we talked about him a number of times last year. Pretty much we will always hold true with him he's just a guy that's probably been told at every level he played, that he wasn't big enough to play. And he just excels every time he gets on the field. He played in arguably one of the best college conferences in the nation, if not the best and excelled there. He came to the NFL and excels whenever he gets on the field here. He's just a terrific guy to have on your football team, he'll do anything that he can do to help you win a game and is a terrific student of the game.
On if the additions to the offensive line have paid off…
No. I do believe that we're significantly better so I don't want to sound like I think they're practicing poorly, but there not going to pay off until we win. We've got to win in the regular season to have it be a benefit to us and to them. I believe strongly and obviously that we did the right things there. I really like those players. We'll know as the season moves on how it's paid off for us.
On the competition of the right guard position…
I'm not in a big hurry to make a quick decision. I just want to make sure we make the right decision. We've got a number of guys that we feel are competitive enough and good enough to start so we'll let it play itself out. If we could, and I'm pretty sure this is what Jim (McNally) meant, if it played itself out quickly, you'd like that. You'd get your guys together and all the reps together and we're in no hurry to make a hasty decision.
On what the quarterback rotation looks like for Friday…
Well, we know that our first group will play somewhere between ten and fifteen plays and that's about normal. And then after that, we're not certain how it will play itself out. Right now, I'm inclined to think that Craig (Nall) will go second and play a little. Then Trent (Edwards) will play most of the rest. It's not etched in stone. We just have to see how we feel, but that's probably what it will look like.
On if he likes the competition for the backup QB position…
Yes, and it's very early but I do like what we're seeing there.
On his observations of Trent Edwards…
Probably very similar to what we saw in the OTA's. Very quick release, generally accurate, struggles some in recognition but that's to be expected. He's very smart in the classroom and on the field. He's working on his reads and understanding what he has to do. He's just getting better and appears to be a player that does learn from day to day and rep to rep and sometimes a mistake which hopefully won't be repeated.
On the penetration of the defensive line…
I like our defensive line. We've got to stay healthy, knock on wood. We've got to get a little bit lucky there. Have everybody play to their level and beyond. Get lucky with the injury side of it, but we're quick, they're tough guys and they're smart guys. So we've got a chance to be a pretty good football team and a good defensive front.
On what has struck him about Marshawn Lynch…
I would say again, kind of like talking about Trent, the same things that jumped out the OTA's are jumping out here. He's very quick, very quick footing and he can make you miss. He's got excellent hands to catch the ball. He runs excellent routes. He is developing as a pass protector, that is not him primary role but it is critically important to us that when called upon, he does it and does it well. Right now, he looks like the back that we thought we drafted and hopefully he'll just keep getting better.
On Lee Evan's preparation against the double coverage he might expect…
Well, he got doubled a lot last year or rolled to at least and doubled at times. So the more that it happens to you, the better you get at running and avoiding it if you can, beating it if you can. But if you get doubled, it's not an easy deal to get open. And if you get doubled odds are the quarterback's going somewhere else. And that should free up other people to make plays in this offense. But Lee (Evans) deals with it. He's a skilled receiver. He's a smarter receiver than he was a year ago. Again he's a guy that gets better with every rep, he learns. He wants to be really good. We anticipate that Lee will have and he's got to have a real good year for us.
On the receiving corps behind Lee…
I like our group and always have liked our group all the way through. They're a very competitive group of guys, they'll block. Tyke (Tolbert) coaches them well. He's very tough on them, demanding in the run game. They're going to block. Roscoe (Parrish) is unique among them because he's small. He's a small receiver, extremely quick and he's fast also on top of that. And he's fearless. And Josh (Reed) I think is having a terrific camp. Peerless (Price) is often overlooked and underrated. He's very professional in his approach, a good route runner, good hands generally catching the ball and a tough guy. He likes the competition. But those four are having a real good camp. Sam Aiken is having a good camp. Sam's kind of a 'tweener. He's a big, physical receiver. He's got good speed and is a tremendous asset on our team as are those other guys too. It's a good group. We've got to stay healthy and perform.