**
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER, MONDAY, DEC. 15, 2008
(opening comments)**
I want to first start off by addressing the injuries. We've just completed tests on Kyle [Vanden Bosch] and Albert [Haynesworth] and I look at this as good news. We're expected to have them both back by the playoffs. We were all very concerned about Albert's condition after the game. He has an MCL sprain and just an MCL sprain. That oftentimes is 10 days to two weeks so there's no doubt in our mind that he'll be back. We sent Kyle off for some tests this morning and got the results back. Kyle will be undergoing a minor surgery to repair a muscle and the specialist has every reason to believe he also will be back for the playoffs. So we got good news there as it relates to Kyle and Albert. We had one other injury in the ball game and that was Cary Williams. He pulled a quad and we're still evaluating that. From an injury standpoint, nothing else to report on the rest of the club, everybody was fine but good news on Kyle and Albert.
(On if the team is considering making a move to acquire a defensive lineman)
There's always that possibility but we've got depth here and the younger guys are playing well.
(On how an MCL sprain affects a defensive lineman compared to a quarterback)
I think he's probably got a better chance. He's had one before and came back off it very quickly. I think you have a better chance as an interior lineman than you do as a skill player.
(On if the surgery was a different alternative for Kyle Vanden Bosch)
No, it's not a different alternative. It's the result of a new injury that he suffered in the Cleveland game. It's not an ongoing thing, this was a separate injury. We evaluated him last week and felt the need to go out and see a specialist. It's the same region but a different injury.
(On having both Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth out)
They were in the Pro Bowl last year, they're good players. But we've played some games where we've been without them and we've been okay. I thought William Hayes played very well in the ball game yesterday. We've got depth out there. Jacob [Ford] is getting his sacks and we all know what Dave [Ball] can do and we've got Jason [Jones] back and Jason played well yesterday so we're in good shape.
(On if they will totally shut down Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth)
I'm not going to go into specifics regarding their rehabilitation but we're going to get them ready to play for the playoffs.
(On if the coaching staff tried to adjust to Kerry Collins' inaccuracy)
I think yesterday was a combination of everybody taking turns. Receivers cutting a route off a little short, flattening out a route, not accelerating through the ball and then Kerry misfiring at times. It was not just all the quarterback, it never is, but I think it was a combination of things. We had many opportunities on the field to make plays. Going back and looking at the ball game I would not change anything that we've done other than hope that we'd made some more plays during the game. But the last sequence, the decision to go for it on fourth-and-three, we would do that again. I felt like it was the right decision, we had the opportunity to make a big play, we just didn't make it.
(On if they tried to catch the Texans off guard on the fourth down play)
We had receivers open. We just didn't make the play.
(On his statement during postgame that Rob Bironas was missing some kicks during pregame warm-ups)
Rob's limit was the 28-yard line. He was barely making them from the 28-yard line and the line of scrimmage was the 32. I'm not going to put Rob in that position to fail. The process is, anytime wind is involved, I know what his distance is going to be and where the outer limits of the distance is. If I'm going to ask him to go out there than it's on me if it's well beyond that. But this was a different situation. This is evolving into the game. We had timeouts left, we had opportunities to make plays and we didn't. We also had a four-minute defense that failed. We had opportunities to win this ball game and just didn't.
(On if Rob Bironas goes back out at halftime to kick)
Yeah, he'll kick when he comes back out at halftime. The wind did not change.
(On if he ever thought about putting Vince Young in the game)
No, I didn't. No because we had a chance to win. Kerry [Collins] brought us back and put us in position. We were close, we just didn't make the last play. I didn't consider that. I didn't feel like at any time he was slumping or it was his fault. Everybody was taking turns offensively and I'm going to credit their defense, too. Their defense played well.
(On if he thought both penalties on Cortland Finnegan were deserved)
Yeah, I think I mentioned this yesterday. It's the responsibility of the defensive player to avoid helmet-to-helmet contact on a quarterback regardless of what the quarterback does. In this particular case, as Cort made contact, the initial contact was on the shoulder and the finishing blow ended up in the face. That's just the way it is.
(On the spearing call on Cortland Finnegan)
Sometimes that's called, sometimes it's not.
(On Jevon Kearse's game)
Yeah, I mean his chase speed is clearly there and I think Matt [Schaub] may have underestimated the speed but yeah, that was a huge play. He was disruptive. A big part of their offensive game plan was the bootleg series and we got them out of it because of Jevon's presence on the field.
(On if he saw the controversial touchdown call late in the game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore)
I saw it. I saw the play. It's a very unique play. I didn't see the camera angles and so forth but according to what I've heard, they felt like they made the right decision. It's unique with receiver trying to keep his feet in the end zone as he leaves the end zone and enters the field of play but apparently they had a shot that showed possession and the ball over the plane. You have to have possession of the football as it crosses the plane or across the plane for it to be a touchdown.
(On the emphasis on two feet being down compared to the ball crossing the plane)
Well, in this case, the initial ruling on the field was that he had possession but when he made possession he was out of the end zone. That's why they ruled it six inches short. When they went back and reviewed it, they felt he had possession and when he had possession, the ball was across the plane. The front plane of the goal line is really all you need to break.
(On his early impressions of the Steelers)
Well, they're clearly the best defense in the league right now and I think what stands out right now is their red-zone efficiency. Their number's like 31 percent and good numbers are in the 50s or 60s so they're exceptional at keeping people out of the end zone.
(On if it's disappointing after a hot start to have a must-win this week for home field advantage in the playoffs)
You know, if you would have told me when the season started that we could beat the Steelers in the second-to-last game of the season for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, I would take that. The issue as we stand here today, as I talked to the team is, we let this one slip away. We beat ourselves in this one. But there's really no difference between the start of the game and where we are now. We need to beat Pittsburgh to get that second game. It will be a great ball game.
(On if players being upset over the loss to the Texans can work to the team's advantage against the Steelers)
Well, I think if we maintain the same philosophy, which is the one-week-at-a-time philosophy, put behind us a win or a loss as we've been able to do, then we'll be successful.
(On if there was anything different in the two possible intentional grounding plays)
Looking at them, they're both tough calls that could go either way. I probably would have ruled the second one intentional grounding and not the first one. But they can go either way. That's a subjective call by the referee and he needs help from the other officials in the second play. The umpire came in and said he had a tight end in the area so they waived it off.
(On if he was upset with Cortland Finnegan after his two personal foul penalties)
No, we were inches away from having a big play, a sack and a caused fumble. I can't fault him for the helmet-to-helmet hit, not at all. He's an aggressive player. He understands he has to back down a little bit but you can't ask a player like Cortland, with his ability, to back down and change his game.
(On if a kicker's demeanor ever affects his decision to kick)
No, it's all about the distance and the leg and the decisions we make early in the ball game. There's times to take a shot at it and times not to. Rob [Bironas] is going to go out on his own if it's within his range and it's time to kick or is going to go out if I ask him to give it a shot. I'm not talked into anything or talked out of anything.
(On if Rob Bironas ran out on his own before the fourth down play)
Yeah, mentally he was ready to go out and make the kick so he went out.
(On if it's tough to keep rules straight from a coach's perspective)
It's not difficult to keep up with the changes. I think what happens is sometimes head coaches have a tendency to get caught up in emotions of the game, especially at the end of the game and lose sight of some of those things. It's our responsibility to manage games. There are a lot of subtle rules in the book that I think people are unfamiliar with but I think the longer that you're in it, the better understanding that you'll have of it. The situation last week with Cleveland, they called timeout and we're moving on to the next play. They didn't have 10 guys on the field in a critical situation so the instinctive, obvious thing to do is to call time out. Obviously, they let him have it. I think generally coaches have a good feel for the game and for the rules and for the understanding. But there's always going to be things that come up. For example, three weeks ago when we had the catch on the sideline when the toes came down and the heels followed. It was something that we hadn't seen in years. I think the officiating department handled that correctly as they explained it to me. I didn't see the heels come down but I saw the toes so there are things that are going to come up. I think communication is necessary between the crews and between the staff so we can avoid different situations. There's been situations over the years where I've helped them at times just because you have an understanding of the rules.
