Q: Do you think the team is ready for the start of the season?
A: I think we are ready for the challenges that we are going to face in the upcoming season. We are doing a great job but obviously you hate to lose people. You hate to lose people to injury but I think the guys are doing a great job of stepping up. Aaron Ross has been a starter before so it is nothing new to him. He is doing a great job in that area and the defense is prepared to open up the season and play well.
Q: Do you think the starters should play Thursday?
A: It doesn't matter. I think it is whatever coach goes with. Due to our situation and having two turnaround games, I think he is going to do the right thing by us and making the right decision on whether we play or not play. I always think it is good to get the work and I like the game speed compared to practice. There is nothing like going out there and getting game speed and being put in those situations. I think it is always a plus for players to come in and have those plays but I think coach will do a great job making a decision and he will let us know what we are going to do this week.
Q: How difficult do you think it will be to play these two games?
A: We have been doing a great job in New York of doing midstream adjusting. We had a couple of times last year where we had some traveling arrangements and we got out there and did a great job adjusting to them so if we have to do it, I don't think it will be a problem. I think all the guys are focused and their concentration is on football now and I think we will be prepared for it.
Q: How different is it without Terrell Thomas?
A: I think we are still going out there and doing the same thing. Our goals are the same. We just need guys to step up and Ross has been in that position before. He has been a starter and has been preparing like he was a starter even when he wasn't. My role doesn't change at all. It is just to go out there and help my team win games and get better. That is just what we do.
Q: How did Antrel look in the nickel last night?
A: Last year we did a great job of putting different packages out there on the field based on the personnel that we had. Last year, we had an opportunity to do that with him so this year wasn't that foreign to him. I think he did a great job of covering the receivers and he is a former cornerback so it's not that far out for him. It helped us to change up the coverage last year so I think it would be wonderful and he would have no problem doing it.
Q: Have any of the wide receivers taken any steps forward?
A: I think all of them have. I think everybody has been working well to get better. We turned over the ball a lot of times last year and a lot of them are trying to get that out of their system and want to help anyway they can to make our team ultimately better. I think they are all working on that and trying to get that in the right direction.
Q: Is there anything in specific?
A: They have had a chance to go against us in camp and I think they did a great job getting off the jam yesterday. I talked to them and they said it is a lot different going against us everyday in camp and it helped them in the game as far as their releases and getting off the press-jam coverage. I think all of them are getting better in that aspect.
Q: What is the biggest difference in Aaron Ross this year?
A: I just think it is more attention to details. We are locked in and zoned in and we know what we want to do. We got a fresh start coming out of the lockout and we were able to train in familiar territory. He had to go back to Texas and all of those soft tissues injuries he had in the past, he was able to get corrected. That was a lot of his problems, dealing with those hamstrings and injuries like that so I think he came back a lot healthier. Now he can focus on the small things and ultimately become great and be the best two cornerbacks. Terrell was on the same page too. We wanted to be the best and I think we are still on that and still have that mindset. We are working towards it every day.
Q: Did you sense a frustration with the injuries from him the last few years?
A: No because I think he did everything in his power to try to eliminate them. Whether it was yoga or pilates or whatever he could do to stay on the field and be healthy. He did those things and we always did a good thing just trying to keep his head up. I don't think he had his head down at all and getting better knowing his time was going to come. He is ready for it when it does come.
