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TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - September 29, 2017**
(opening statement)
37, (Johnathan) Cyprien and Corey (Davis) are out, everybody else should be good to go for the game, including Delanie (Walker).
(on how much the organization had talked about the death threats that tight end Delanie Walker had received)
We had a discussion about it. We have turned it over to the NFL and let them deal with it. We're very comfortable and confident it will all be settled. We did not make a big issue of it. We are definitely aware of it.
(on how practice went this week despite distractions)
Not with this locker room. Really been good, very good Friday, great Thursday, I mean a great Thursday. Really focused, meetings, everything, it's been good.
(on if it is important for players to speak their minds)
They are free to, that's the nice part about it. Everybody respects Delanie Walker, I know he's about as much of a pro as I've ever been around, on and off the field. It's important. If they get a chance to speak, they're allowed to you.
(on if he is alarmed by the death threats)
You have to be alarmed, and we've alerted the right people. It's all out of our hands, we're moving on to Houston and hopefully with the questions as well.
(on how he prevents this from becoming a distraction)
It's up to you, it's not up to me. We're ready to play Houston. We've had a good week of practice, a good week of meetings. It's really what you do, not what I do.
(on what it says about the players that they haven't been distracted)
We really have a good locker room. I know I say that a lot, that is a fact. We have really good people in there, that like to compete, and that's why we have a chance every time we play.
(on if he thinks cornerback Adoree' Jackson has a chance to return another punt for a touchdown)
I hope so. I know our guys are close, we have got to do something differently, not create penalties. We talked about it this morning, even Tim Shaw went through the importance of factors of punt return, how it's different than any other phase in our special teams. You can't be aggressive on punt return. It's just little things, when we get better at it we will break one.
(on what the key to playing well in the second half has been)
I think it's just our guys trust the plan, they do, we stick with it, we don't get away from it. They don't see frustration from us at all on the sideline. I think that's a big key for them, for themselves not to get frustrated. They believe in what we're doing, it has shown to be effective against a good team, good defenses.
(on how the defense is preparing to face Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson)
It's basically the same week of work, trying to stop a guy that can be dangerous for a long time. He's a handful, we have to cover longer than we normally do. The effort will be there, that's a big part of it, the effort to keep going after him.
(on what a win in Houston would mean for the trajectory of the organization)
I'll say, it's an important game, just like last week was important, this one is important. It's only the fourth game of the year, this is an important football game.
(on what makes Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins a tough player to cover)
His speed, his size, what he does if the ball is in his area he's hard to defend, he's very good on contested throws. And now he's possibly going to have (Will) Fuller on the other side to where you've got to be aware of both guys now. He's just a tough receiver. Favorite target, you know you're going to throw it to him, we know it, they know it, we've got to do something about it.
(on if stopping the run is still a top priority)
Every week it will be, every week.
(on if the team will still be unified during the national anthem)
Everybody has freedom of speech to do what they want to do.
