Head Coach Tom Coughlin
Q: What do you know about Charlie Whitehurst?
A: We studied all the tape on him. We know we have a good profile on him dating back to his college days, so we're well aware of Charlie and his ability.
Q: Does it change your defensive game plan at all?
A: Not really. Not that you'd notice.
Q: Is there anything different about him compared to Hasselbeck? Does he move more?
A: He's bigger, he's taller, he has good mobility, he has a strong arm. I'm not comparing, I'm just telling you what his credentials are. He's had a lot of passes in preseason – probably more than a lot of the starters in the league and he's been in the league, he's in his fifth year, he was traded for, all of the above.
Q: Did the Seahawks run a different offense for him than for Hasslebeck?
A: No. Not really.
Q: Normally defenses enjoy going up against a guy making his first NFL start, but since Whitehurst has been around for so long is that still a factor?
A: Well, it's a new quarterback at the position, so that always gets the antennae up just simply because you don't know a whole lot about him, but you have to remember now, this team leads their division, they have a tremendous amount at stake – as we do. They play exceptional football at home. All of the numbers – I gave them all to you the other day – everything they do, they do extremely well at home. We know the quality of this team and many people picked them as the best team in the NFC – we know full well about that.
Q: When you look at preseason tapes, defenses aren't doing as much as they usually do.
A: They do enough. There is enough on those tapes – there's enough. There's enough pressure if that's what you're getting at.
Q: Do you get a sense that when a team loses their starting QB that everyone else picks up their game? It's not as simple as a backup in the game and they're going to lose.
A: They've had an opportunity to work with this young man since he was traded for, so they know him well, they know how anxious he is to play and I'm sure they all want him obviously to play well and want to play well for him.
Q: Do you think that your offense or your line loses anything when they have to go to a silent count?
A: Well, you certainly hope that you don't lose anything. You do have to – communication is the factor in the noise that kind of keeps people from being as aggressive as they can be provided that it is a problem. When you silent count, everyone is aware of the little incidentals that go along with that, which I won't explain, but they're all keyed for exactly when the ball is going to go.
Q: At this point is anybody definitely out?
A: We have three listed as out: O'Hara, Hedgecock, and Beatty.
Q: Is Gerris good to go even with the cast?
A: Yeah, he's good to go. He does have to wear that cast.
Q: How big of a concern is Leon Washington?
A: My goodness. I don't have enough time. It's dark around here about six. He's had an exceptional year, too – don't forget that. When you look at his punt return averages, his kickoffs – his kickoff return average at home. Do you know what it is? 44 yards. Kickoff return average at home.
Q: That's something that can really change the game in terms of field position.
A: That could very well – you want to keep him from affecting the change in the game. Their offense has taken the ball over, I want to say, 10 times in plus territory this year and scored five of those 10 times, so they've benefitted from outstanding field position for sure.
Q: Dodge was punting pretty well today. Has his consistency gotten a lot better?
A: Well, I think it has as evidenced by the last game we played. We wait for you to get in here and then he does his best.
Q: They did rush us out here today.
A: Well they didn't want you to miss that.
Q: Is your return game going to be Reynaud or a combination?
A: Well, we've worked more than one person back there so we'll see.
