How is the team handling the bye week this week?
We wish we would have went into the bye week coming off a win. The guys are definitely itching to get back out there, but it also gives us an opportunity to reset and study our mistakes.
Can you talk about the development of Cedric Tillman so far?
Cedric Tillman made some exciting play in practice this week. I can't stress enough that a time will come for him soon.
How quickly can you tell if a young player is a football player if he thinks about it because it seems like at the Combine they’re all saying the right thing and it’s the job. How quickly does it take?
It varies so greatly. The combine is a great measurement for physical talent, but there are a lot of other factors in play when you talk about being top talent in the NFL. Think of Tom Brady who is considered by most to be the goat. Not super impressive in the combine, late round pick, but he became one of the greatest players of all time.
How valuable is the self-scouting process that you go through during the Bye Week? There's the physical piece, but also that component, as well.
During the bye week we really want to make sure we are mentally prepared for the reminder of the season. Physically we want to find a balance between refreshing the squad and being ready to go game time.
Can you speak to the overall team health?
We are dealing with injuries in some key positions, and this bye week is allowing us some recovery time. Some of our guys are on the verge of being ready to go.