HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
(Opening remarks)
Well, Cincinnati went to Baltimore and everybody has high expectations for the opener and Baltimore found a way to win the ballgame. Cincinnati comes off this game, I think, a little disappointed and we expect them to be much improved over last week and ready for this upcoming game.
(On what Chris Simms brings to the Titans)
He did not workout. This was all contingent on the physical. We feel he gives us the best chance to come in and learn the offense and pickup in the event that we have a problem. As he'll probably tell you, he was leaning very heavily towards his opportunity in Kansas City and we're very fortunate the timing worked out and he made the decision to come.
(On if the decision to bring in Chris Simms and not elevate Ingle Martin from the practice squad is an indication that Vince Young may be out longer than expected)
You don't need to read into anything. I've stated that Vince [Young] won't play this week because he's out with an MCL sprain. We had confidence in Ingle [Martin] but we just felt like Ingle was still a ways away and we need an experienced guy here to come in in case we have a problem.
(On Chris Simms' situation in Tampa Bay in regards to them holding on to him despite the fact that he wasn't going to play)
Well, I mean Chris, obviously through this weekend and up until last night, was unemployed. He was looking at his best options and I think he looked at the roster and felt like if they were going to keep four quarterbacks, and maybe even five, then what are his potential chances of playing. So we finally got in touch with him and told him what our situation was and he was very excited about the opportunity.
(On how Vince Young is doing)
He came in this morning, he's excited to get back and start treatment and get back in the building with his teammates. He interacted well with his teammates and he's going to work very hard to rehab and get back on the field as quickly as he can.
(On if there were any misunderstandings about what's happened with Vince Young over the past 48 hours)
I think we've made releases, we've spoke openly about it and we're going to move on. As I said, there was a misunderstanding. I think the organization acted appropriately, obviously because we're concerned for all of our employees. When it was resolved, it was resolved.
(On if he would have handled the situation any differently if the player in question was not Vince Young)
I'm not treating any player any differently, so the answer is yes. I'd do that for any employee considering the information I had and now I'm going to talk about the upcoming game.
(On his response to the notion that the offense will run better with Kerry Collins)
Kerry [Collins] is an experienced player. He's played many, many years and had success. He understands what we're doing. He's here and he was brought here to backup a young quarterback who we drafted who was going to be the future of this franchise. He's fully aware that when there's problems and he's called upon, he's expected to win.
(On his expectations of backup quarterbacks being able to flip on the switch when they're called upon)
It is a challenge and that's why you need the veteran that's been there before. I think it's more of a challenge for a younger guy that hasn't played or taken many snaps to come off the bench in the middle of a series or the middle of the game or whatever the situation is, to come in and be effective. When we're looking for somebody to take up a backup role we want somebody that's been there before, somebody that's played in big games, that's come in and started. That's why we felt Chris [Simms] was the best solution.
(On if he has the mindset that when Vince Young comes back, the quarterback job is his to reclaim)
Yeah, but he's got some work to do, obviously. He has to put some things back in perspective and first and foremost has to get healthy.
(On how important it is for Vince Young to be back around his teammates)
We expect him to come back. You get hurt, you get treatment, you come back and you rehab and you get back on the field as quickly as you can.
(On if Vince Young will rehab at the training facility)
Yes, the plan is to keep him here and rehab.
(On how long he expects Vince Young to be out)
I said last night, he's got an MCL sprain and he's out this week. The MCL strains are varied depending on the player and the knee, so some of them can come back in a couple of weeks and some of them take longer. I'm just not going to speculate on how long he's going to be out.
(On if it's different for a quarterback to come back from an MCL as opposed to another position)
Well if you take into consideration that his legs are a huge part of his game, it would be different, yes.
(On if Vince Young is undergoing a mental evaluation)
I'm not going to comment any further.
(On how much of a distraction the Vince Young situation is for his teammates)
The team's not distracted at all. I addressed the situation on Monday and addressed it on Wednesday and we've moved it behind. Believe it or not, what this team cares about is finding any way to get to 2-0. That's what they care about. Distractions are part of the National Football League and if you let them become overwhelming it's going to affect your play on the field and affect your success as a team. Your ability to deal with them is directly related to the success that you have. We've had our share of distractions, we as an organization can deal with them. We're putting this behind us as Vince [Young] has and is going to and we're getting ready for Cincinnati.
(On if last year's loss to Cincinnati is extra motivation)
Obviously, we have to look at it. I mean we gave up way too many points on defense and were not as productive as we would have liked to have been on offense. We had a number of things happen in the game that could have created different circumstances at halftime, but they did not. We've missed on some opportunities and we've heavily scrutinized our game plan from last year. We've made the adjustments and we've got to put them in play this week.
(On how much of the offense he expects Chris Simms to learn in the next few days)
You know, it's hard for me to quantify that but if he has to play, he'll go in under center and we'll be able to hand it off and throw it.
(On players getting used to a left-handed quarterback)
There is change. The center has to flip the ball over because the laces come up upside down. So there is a change. The receivers will continue to work with him. I mean the ball's obviously spinning a different direction but, it's brown and they have to catch it.
