We are 4-0; happy about that. There are only four teams in the NFL that are 4-0. We have won three games in a row on the road. We are one of only eight teams since 1990 to do that. We are excited about that because we know that we have a lot of improving to do in all areas. And our players are well aware of that. But I think that the focus and the attention to the detail and the fact that we are coming back home, we are going to play here this weekend, is something that we are all going to be excited about.
Q: Michael Boley?
A: Boley's knee was stiff last night on the plane and they are sending him for tests.
Q: Kevin Boss?
A: Ankle. He is having a little trouble today. We'll see if maybe he – hopefully it is day to day. I can't even tell you that right now.
Q: Sprain?
A: Yes, sprain. He has had it before.
Q: Your thoughts in general when you watched Eli come up with his foot injury?
A: Just that hopefully it was nothing serious. By no means am I playing anything down, don't get me wrong there, okay. But knowing the quality of the athlete, knowing that he will spend 24 hours, if that is what it takes, to get the swelling down and that type of thing. We all have to wait and see what comes back as the result of the MRI.
Q: Is Eli's toughness underrated?
A: His desire to play, his toughness, his ability to play with the nicks and the bruises and that type of thing – when he played with the shoulder he couldn't practice that week. He got right up to game time and he was pretty adamant about wanting to play and feeling like he could. And the doctors gave their permission. So, yes, he is; he is definitely that. And it is because of his desire. He just loves to play and wants to play. And as the quarterback and the leader, he wants to be out there. We want him out there.
Q: What does it mean to have a guy like David Carr as the backup quarterback?
A: A veteran guy that has played and started in a lot of games and has shown his ability in games. I said it a number of times and I'll say it again, I just feel like David should have – we should have won the 16th game a year ago. He had a fine game. He did well. So we have a veteran backup and that is certainly one of the reasons why we stay with the roster of two.
Q: When a quarterback has a foot issue, do you start altering things to accommodate for a lack of mobility?
A: Well, it depends on, again, what the next few hours tell us. We have these tests coming down. Once we get these results of the tests – tomorrow morning when he comes to the training room, obviously that will be something that we will be very concerned about.
Q: He said there was a little soreness today but nothing more than yesterday.
A: I think that is a good thing because normally the day after – that is the day when it really sets in. But he didn't feel like today was any worse than yesterday.
Q: What did you see on tape in terms of how he injured himself?
A: He goes back to pass and he kinds of kicks his foot up. Then he puts his foot down and throws the pass down the field and it is a heck of an accurate throw. But he goes down. I'm watching him. I didn't even see the ball. I see him go down.
RE: Adding a third quarterback to your roster.
A: We'll see. We will just see where we go.
Q: What explanation did Lawrence Tynes give you for the missed field goal?
A: I didn't ask him.
Q: Will you bring in any kickers this week?
A: We'll see.
Q: How did Ahmad Bradshaw do?
A: Pretty good; pretty good. The ankle is sore this morning. They put him right back in the boot. It is encouraging what he was able to do. He pass protected well, too.
Q: Do you expect Chris Canty, Aaron Ross and Domenik Hixon back?
A: I just have to wait. Their status does not change normally from the end of last week until they get the full workup tomorrow morning in the training room. The trainers usually – on Tuesday – they run them and do things with them and will put them through some things on the inside so they can project. So until that happens, it is the same status as I'm being told as it was at the end of last week.
Q: What was it like seeing Hakeem Nicks make a big time play?
A: Encouraging, encouraging. We need those plays. We need that. Mario has made those plays and Hakeem has those plays. Steve has made a bunch of plays. We need that aspect; every team does.
Q: What is it about Steve Smith – he seems to get open.
A: He is very good and decisive and his maneuvers are deceptive and very sharp and very sudden. And he can go from one point to the other after making a move with good suddenness. And he catches it.
Q: Does wearing the harness limit Justin Tuck?
A: Well, you can see that he doesn't have all of that motion. But I think as far as his legs and his maneuverability and where he is trying to get to, he is not restricted that way. But certainly there is some restriction. He would rather have it hanging somewhere else.
Q: Steve Smith, does he surprise you?
A: After having watched these guys work the whole spring and the summer with all of this focus that has been on them, and how hard they have worked and how well they – I wouldn't sit down and tell you 10 or 11 every -- but to have those two work together like they are working, they have always had kind of a inclination that way. But the balance is the key – being able to stick the ball down the middle to Boss and being able to throw the ball up on the outside to Manningham or to Nicks and to hit one of those guys on the cross – let them run with it. …..decide there are going to – more attention goes to Steve then other people, obviously, have to be able to take advantage of that.
Q: Steve and Eli have communicated since Steve's rookie season. Is that rare?
A: I don't know if it rare but it is good that they are on the same page. They are on the same page a whole lot of the time – most that I hear and see – there is a period of people getting to know one another and they have been through that.
Q: Mario Manningham admitted that he didn't have a very good game - your opinion of his play yesterday?
A: No he didn't. He is capable of so much more. And we have seen it. Even the ball he caught, he double caught or I think he would have run into the end zone with that one. But he is an honest young guy. He knows. But he also knows that our team depends on him to get going. And I'm sure he will have a good week this week.
Q: Knowing that the MRI results will not be available until later, are you listing Eli's injury as a sore heel/bruised heel?
A: Until it is anything different, yes.
Q: Bryan Kehl played well yesterday on special teams.
A: He sure has. He has gotten a game ball a couple of weeks in a row. That was two fine plays. That first kickoff Tollefson blew the wedge up and CC Brown came in and knifed at the ball and it came out. Kehl started (to run) it and went down to make sure he had it. And on the onside kick …….
Q: Did you remind your players in the locker room about such things as the onside kick?
A: Oh yeah. All week long we talked – gadgets, gadgets. They have to try to do something different and they have to try to jump start themselves some how, some way.
Re: gadget plays
A: Yeah, that is what I'm talking about – the Chiefs, the Chiefs – because they had done so much. They had already shown a number of things. They punt, onside kick, receiver pass, …….., they have showed it all. We had to be very much alert so that we weren't susceptible to something.
Q: Is that difficult for guy to do what Kehl did? Obviously he wants to retreat to set up to block. Is it hard to stop that reaction and field theo onside kick?
A: Well you have to really focus on the ball before you release, you have to really see the ball kicked. The kicker must strike the ball before …… A lot of times the way you put those things together is if somebody is not quite as disciplined. ….in a little bit of a hurry to get out of there then you know who you want to place the ball in front of. But then the two adjacent players were right there. Chase and Travis was right there with them, too. But that was a big play in the second half. One of my disappointments yesterday was not taking the ball in. We went for it on fourth down and made it and then slowed down after that. That would have been a great time to get that ……..
