(on Kurt Warner's chances of playing)
**
We will take it one day at a time. I think that is the procedure that we go through and see how he reacts from practice today. Obviously, we are optimistic based on the results from the test. Once again with these things you just go one day at a time and we will go from there.
(on if the Titans' improved pass rush is a concern)
**
I don't know that Kurt (Warner) really has an issue with concussions. I don't know where that comes from. Certainly the Titans have done a good job, especially last week, of putting pressure on the quarterback. That is one of the things that they have done consistently through the years. They have a good front four, they have good depth, they rotate those guys so they stay fresh. We know certainly that it is going to be a challenge.
(on the Cardinals being the last team to visit LP Field)
**
I think we have talked about it already. I know I have played a number of games in there against the Titans, so I know what kind of atmosphere it is. I know how tough it is to play there. We have played in some tough environments this year. We play Seattle every year and that is a tough environment, as was New York when we played the Giants. Hopefully we will be able to handle it and have a chance.
(on if he has been back to Nashville since leaving Vanderbilt)
**
I have, yes.
(on how much time he has spent in Nashville)
**
I haven't spent a lot of time there. It has been more quick in and quick out. I have been back there to play games a number of times when I was with the Steelers all through the early 2000s. I haven't been there in a few years lately though. Certainly when I was there at Vanderbilt, I really enjoyed my time there. I thought it was a fantastic city and the people were great.
(on Kurt Warner's impact on the team)
**
I think Kurt has gone through a number of things during his career. The way he has played for us over the last two and a half years has been very good, Super Bowl win or not. I think he was a big part of the reason as to why we got to the Super Bowl last year because of the level of his play. With a guy that has experience, has leadership in that position that is unselfish and just wants to win and works very hard to do that, it is always good for your team. We have been very fortunate that he has played at the level he has and that we have had him during this time.
(on the key to changing the culture within the organization)
**
I think it is always about what you are trying to do to win. I think the players have to believe that you are going to have a chance and that you are preparing the right way. I think our first year here when we won eight games that was something that hadn't been done here in a while and that gave our players confidence that they could win doing it our way. That is just being consistent in our approach for practice, consistent in our approach for how we are going to prepare for opponents. I think always you have to have a little bit of success in order to really get it going. Last year certainly helped that quite a bit. We have a lot of good players on this team and we have a lot of good guys. I think one of the things that we really wanted to establish here was a chemistry and certainly a belief that team was important and we have been able to do that. I think that has been one of the reasons we have been able to have some success.
(on the reason why they have been so successful on the road this year)
**
I think winning last year a playoff game at Carolina really helped us. The was one where we had struggled on the road, especially on the Eastern time zone games and when we got to that game, we were able to play well and overcome getting down early in that game and come back and win. It gave us confidence that we could do it. I think too that the whole thing in the playoffs last year where no one really gave us a chance saying we were the worst team ever. When that happens you have a tendency to bond together to develop that mentality that it is us against the world. To me that is what playing on the road is all about, especially when you are playing in a place like Tennessee where they have good fans and they really support the team. You have to have a little bit of that attitude or that mentality. I think that is what has helped us this year is having gone through that last year.
(on whether the criticism the Titans received may have been cause for their turnaround)
**
I'm sure it contributed some, but there was never a point where I didn't think they were a good team. I don't think you win 13 games and play the way they did last year and you just become a bad team. There are always factors that are involved and I was pretty sure that they were going to get it going at some point and they did. That is a credit to Coach Fisher and certainly to the players for doing that, for sticking in there.
(on comparable running backs to Chris Johnson)
**
Wow, there is not a lot that are comparable to the way he is playing right now. He is at a high level. We faced Adrian Peterson last year and he was pretty good. Frank Gore certainly is a good back. There are a number of good backs. Steven Jackson who we faced last week is playing at as high of a level as anyone in the league right now. There are a number of good backs, but Chris Johnson is really a threat and is really playing well for them.
(on Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower)
**
I think it is a credit to both of those guys because Tim Hightower in a position where he just got the starting job, well he had it last year after we parted ways with Edgerrin (James), he took over that role and then you draft a first round pick at running back. That is always tough, but to his credit he has fought hard to keep his position, but he has also been willing to mentor and work with Beanie. Beanie is a very humble and outgoing young player that wants to be good. He has worked very hard at listening and trying to get better. There is a bond between those two now. They both support each other. They both work hard to help each other out. It gives us certainly an advantage because we have two backs that we feel like can play and that gives us a chance to keep them fresh and hopefully continue what we have done the last few weeks and that is run the football a little bit better.
(on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in year two)
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He has shown signs of being a good player. He was fighting a finger fracture earlier in the year and he had to play with a little cast, but he made a big play against the Texans when we played them this year where he picked off a ball in the fourth quarter and ran it back for a touchdown which was huge. He has made some big plays for us certainly in the Sunday night game against the Giants he had a big interception. He is learning about the position and making the transition to this level and he is certainly very gifted and doing a nice job with it.
(on Rod Hood being let go and whether he was a cap cut)
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That was one of the factors, yes. More so than anything, we really had a lot of respect for Rod. He certainly contributed a great deal when he was here. It was one of the those situations where we made some changes and that was one of the factors that was considered in that.
(on a change to youth being another factor)
**
Yes. It is a part of the process every year that you go through. Once again I have nothing but great respect for Rod. He was a tremendous player in our program and we were lucky that he contributed the way he did. He made significant contributions to our football team and having success and going to the playoffs. We are very grateful for that.
(on why he thinks Kurt Warner stuck with the game when he was on the bench a few years back)
**
He is a fierce competitor that loves the game that has great belief in himself and what he can do. He has shown that time and time again. I think his belief never faltered that he can continue to play at this level. He said to me that if he is given a chance he would show it and certainly he has done that. You don't come from where Kurt did without having some of those qualities and I think that is what drives him and makes him a great football player. I am certainly very appreciative that we have him with us.
(on if his time with Arizona strengthened his credentials for Canton)
**
I certainly think that it should. If you look at what he has done for us in 41 starts. His numbers are phenomenal and it seems like every week he is doing something that he is either breaking a record or moving up the charts in some category. He holds the record now for the single-game percentage which he did this year. Certainly he is making strides every time you turn around. I think the way he has played the last two years for us, if there was ever any doubt that that should certainly erase it no matter who he is playing with because of the way he has played. If you look at his statistics and compare them to other quarterbacks that are in the Hall of Fame, I definitely think he compares more than favorably.
(on if he is a Hall of Famer in his mind)
**
No question in my mind, absolutely.
(on Warner's success and how it affects Matt Leinart)
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It doesn't make it tough. We are going to continue to operate with the philosophy that we are going to play with the players that give us the best chance to win. That is what we have done. We had a competition between Matt and Kurt and it was very close. It came down to the end and then Kurt went on to have a Pro Bowl year and almost an MVP-type of year. You just kind of forget about Matt, but what you don't remember is that he competed with him all the way through camp and did a good job. I think the time will come at some point, but once again it is not always the easiest thing for Matt because he wants to play and he has worked very hard but I believe that he has learned, watched and gotten better. You have to give him credit for that.
(on if he has confidence that Leinart will contribute like Vince Young if he is called upon)
**
I certainly hope so. I have been impressed with what Vince has done. He has done a very nice job. I was with the Washington Redskins when Stan Humphries and Mark Rypien both were on the bench for a couple of years. Then when they got their opportunities to play, they played very well. I always believed that when you get an opportunity to do that that it pays dividends for you. If you look at what Aaron Rodgers has done with Green Bay after sitting behind Brett Favre for a couple of years. As difficult as it is for Matt, as difficult as it is for us to have a young quarterback that is not playing, I do believe that it is going to benefit us all at some point when Matt is playing for us.
(on if it is tougher on Leinart now that Young is getting a chance and having success)
**
I know that there is a kinship among all NFL players. I'm sure he is happy for Vince because just like himself he has gone through some tough times. As far as whether it bothers him I don't know. I know that Matt wants to play and he feels like he can play. I certainly admire that in him and I know at some point he is going to get that opportunity.
(on how he judges the intangibles of a quarterback when deciding between quarterbacks)
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I think you have to judge a lot of it on their approach, how they are studying, what they are doing. Sometimes maybe you are seeing things on the practice field, especially when they are working on an opponents' cards and you are working on an opponents' scout team, then you get to see them do some things that leads you to believe that they are going to have success when you put them in to do your things. That to me is what has been important with Matt. We have seen him grow up. We have seen him work really hard when he has had his opportunities for us; especially in the preseason and competing he has done a nice job. But what I really like is that in an environment that is very difficult because you want to play, he still studies, he gets in there and takes those reps and competes against our defense and gets better. To me that is a good sign that he is maturing and getting ready to play.
(on Perry Fewell as the head coach with the Buffalo Bills)
**
I thought he was a good football coach. Perry and I have stayed in touch and we talk about Vanderbilt all the time and our years there. We certainly had a good two years there together. I have great respect for him. I'm happy to see him get the chance. He is a good football coach and I wish him nothing but the best.
