Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher (conference call with San Diego media)
What is the status of Vince Young? Can you give us a percentage maybe?
"I can't quantify as far as percentage standpoint but I can say that he's day-to-day. We're hoping that he'll be able to participate to a limited extent at least in practice today."
Is it a case Jeff that you need him to practice at least a day to be able to play Sunday?
"He's certainly going to benefit from as much practice as he possibly can. But we haven't said that yet. Again we're just day-to-day. He was in early and he's getting aggressive treatment and we'll just see how he loosens up."
You said Monday that seeing this team just a few weeks back could help his whole preparation process. Do you still agree with that?
"Yeah, it is. And then with the young quarterback, if you're playing an unfamiliar opponent it's going to be that much more difficult. But because our game was recent, there will be some recall, he'll be able to study, which he's already done, study the tape and then apply the new game-plan."
Was the "bad blood" that was shed in the last game just flashpoint or is there some history behind that?
"No, I don't know that there's history. We didn't play particularly well last year. Now we just lined up and played. They're two physical teams and neither team backed down. It was quite a thing to watch from the sideline."
Were you insulted that people insinuated that you put a hit out on somebody?
"I take those kinds of things in stride. I know there's a lot of things in this game, and not only this game, but other games, and the game itself that we kind of tend to chalk up to just the heat of the battle things."
Have you put out any specific message to ensure there isn't such carryover?
"Well, the most important thing I think for both clubs is to go out and play hard, execute, play between the snap and the whistle and not hurt your team. I mean, that's the thing, you can't afford to hurt your team from a penalty standpoint."
What does qualifying for playoffs with this group mean to you?
"There's a tremendous sense of accomplishment. We finished up strong last year. We were still alive in Week 17 and couldn't take care of our own issues with the win. It kind of gave us some momentum through the off-season program. It certainly was the key to our fast start. We slipped a little bit for three weeks in a row. We were put into a position after the San Diego loss that we felt like if we could win out, win the three, that we'd have a chance and we did. We ended up winning four of our last five and we got in. Now I think it's important for them and they realize this, as the Chargers do, that getting in is one thing but doing something's another. The twelve best teams are in the playoffs and now we'll see what happens."
Can you talk about Vince Young and where he's both grown and had difficulty?
"Statistically I think you have to be careful when you measure improvement through stats. Certainly his touchdown to interception ratio is not something that he's happy with. But we can twist those. He had a couple called back and some drops and some deflections and things like that and they probably would pretty much even out. But overall he's understanding what we're trying to do. His completion percentage statistically is up over last year and we'll just see a steady curve of improvement from Vince."
Do you want him not to run as much as he had at Texas?
"No. I think he presents a threat, not only with his arm, but with his legs. When you have a mobile quarterback that can improvise and take advantage of things that he sees and take off and run and pick up chunks of yards, I think it helps in a lot of different ways."
Against the Chargers he wasn't really able to get outside of the pocket. Did you see the muck-rush or what the Chargers did to contain him?
"Shawne in particular did a real nice job staying even with him. That's an experienced pass-rusher doing his job. You know, you don't want to get too far up the field. If you do, he'll step out underneath and flush. Shawne did a real nice job on several occasions just staying even and falling back and making a play."
You're talking about Shawne Merriman?
"Yes. "
How is coaching in the playoffs different than coaching in the regular season?
"You know, the game itself is different. People often times talk about the difference between the preseason and the regular season being a significant jump. There's the same jump between the regular season to the postseason. I think you have to take the same approach during the week of preparation and do the same things that you've been doing on a weekly basis to get you there. And then the important thing for the players to realize is that the intensity level and mistakes are magnified. Turnovers will cost you ballgames as well with penalties. So you just go out and you play. I think it's an important thing that you just do the things that you've done in the past."
Vanden Bosch ended up being an unbelievable steal. Do you think he'd turn out this way?
"No, I never would have thought that he would have been as productive. Now he had the ability. The injuries set him back early in his career. When he stepped on the field the first day, you knew that he was certainly capable of making a lot of plays. The thing that's been so impressive is the level that he plays every play, the effort level. And it's become contagious for us which was something that we needed."
Is Haynesworth the next coming of Jamal Williams?
"Well Jamal is a fine player. Albert has been improving each year. I think he's had his best year to date. It's clear when we didn't have him we struggled. When he's back in the lineup we're a much more productive defense."
How did you survive the loss of Pacman Jones talent wise?
"We anticipated that there was going to be a potential decision. We signed Nick Harper. Obviously Cortland Finnegan and Kelly Herndon, we've got a good group there. I felt like we had good returners. He was an outstanding returner and that's hard to replace. But we had a plan. We stuck with it and we moved on."
Are you surprised that you ended with 10 wins and made it to the playoffs considering you got rid of Henry, Drew Bennet left and you lost Pacman?
"No. We felt like things were going to fall into place for us. We felt like we had some young receivers that are capable of making plays. We kind of hoped all along that we would be able to bring Chris Brown back. We knew what LenDale was capable of doing and we got out of him this year what we expected and I can expect him to continue to improve. By drafting Chris Henry, we've got that third back that's a nice change-up. No I'm not surprised. I think we're no different than any team. You expect to win at least ten games and get into the playoffs."
Is there a sense that there is more pressure on the Chargers given what's happened the last few postseasons?
"I guess you're going to have to ask them. We're not just happy to be here. It's hard to get here. So we're going to play hard and see what happens. We understand their frustration last year with the record and home-field throughout and playing a very, very talented team, we all know. Sometimes it doesn't work out. I think the most important thing for both teams is to appreciate where they are and not look back and not look ahead, just focus on this game."
How brilliant is LT and how do you defend him?
"You have to get lucky. You have to get people in place and somebody's got to make a great play in the open field. He's as good as there's ever been in the open field. When it looks like he's going to pick up two yards, he picks up twelve for a first down on the boundary. He's got great acceleration and he's very very difficult to get down. He's a very, very difficult player to defend."
He's running behind an offensive line that has seemed to find a groove. What stands out to you when you look at that offensive line?
"Well, they're in sync. There's a number of different run concepts that they execute very well. Of course, they'll have a wrinkle for you each week. They're very much in sync. They communicate well. They're physical. They finish. And they know they don't have to hold blocks for very long and they can move on to the next level because he's going to get through the hole pretty quickly."
I know you have some history with Norv. There's a stat that he's been the play-caller for six different rushing champions. Do you think a coach can get a niche for the run game like so many great coaches have done with the pass game?
"I think the stat speaks for itself. Coach understands you have to run to have a chance and he understands how to win ballgames and he's got a great group to do it with."
Is the key to this thing shortening this game, the clock and making it a low scoring game?
"In light of the way that the Chargers are playing, I think that a low-scoring game is somewhat unrealistic. In a perfect world, yeah, you'd like to keep the points down but they're difficult to defend. They just have too many weapons. I think turnovers will determine the outcome of this game. I think that's why we were able to keep the game close in the first match-up was because we were able to get our turnovers."
Can you clear this up? You were actually a receiver when you got to USC and played that position for Norv and then followed him to the other side of the ball, right?
"That's correct. He followed me."
How did he help you as a player?
"Anytime you come in as a freshman into a program like that, it's a little overwhelming. He was kind of a settling influence. He was there for the first time. He just was a very good communicator and very enthusiastic. As we got to know each other over the next couple of years, when he made the movement and I went ahead and moved over there, it was somewhat of an easy transition."
Can you compare this journey to other playoff seasons? Has it been more work? Less work? Easier? Harder?
"This club, this group of guys has been one of my favorites. They have been a pleasure to coach. They respond well. They understand the importance of having fun and enjoying coming to work. They motivate each other. They tease each other. They'll have fun but they can turn things on and off and can focus on the task at hand immediately. It's a real good personality. They enjoy being around each other. And I think that gives you a chance. I don't like to use the word chemistry very often, but it wins you games and it's hard to quantify how many that it did win for us but I know that it was an important factor."
