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HEAD COACH KEN WHISENHUNT**
(On alternating practice times)
I think rest. It's all geared toward making sure that they have time to recover, but yet you're still getting time with them to continue on the install and work on things.
(On the impact of the wind on practice)
I think anytime it's going to be like this, it's going to have an impact, but you need those days. I'm glad that we get a chance to work on a day like this in camp. We had some in the spring, too. There will be a game where you have this. I don't know, really, how much it necessarily affected the deep ball. We played a lot more Cover 2, so that's going to hamper the deep balls. That's just natural progression installation in training camp.
(On what he does during the walk-throughs before practice)
Just going through what we're going to do. Sometimes we'll do it competitively against the defense, where they're running they're stuff and we're running our stuff. The value of that is it's moving at a faster pace than a walk-through, or you're getting real technique looks. When I'm putting your third-team tackler trying to play defensive end, he doesn't always play the techniques right when you're going against yourself. We just mix it up. A lot of the times when we have installs, some things that we've got to get done new, then we'll just stay separate and do our walk-throughs, which I'm sure is what you're accustomed to seeing.
(On walk-throughs on two-a-days)
We do it according to the rules. You can only have that every other day. You can have one practice and a walk-through and then you can have one practice.
(On the first padded practice)
I hope it is a challenge. We need challenges. I think the first day in pads, they'll be fired up for that, so as far as the quick turnaround, I don't know that it's necessarily that quick of a turnaround. We'll see.
(On having the first padded practice in the morning)
This is just the way I'm used to doing it. I think that's really what it is. Did it this way last year, did it this way with the years before.
(On being able to see more with players in pads)
I think tomorrow's the day where we get to learn a little bit more. I'm hesitant to say that we're going to be enlightened about our whole team tomorrow. I think we'll find out a little bit about some guys, but the games are different speed. A week and a half from now, when everybody's sore and banged up and guys are missing reps and somebody has to shoulder all that, it's a process. Make no mistake about it, pads are an important part of that.
(On Jake's passing game)
I've been happy with Jake. From where he was when we started in mini-camps and OTAs and where he's progressed, there's a lot that I like in what I'm seeing. Hopefully that trend will continue.
(On Wesley Woodyard's comments about Zach Brown)
I saw his comments, I thought that that was positive. It seemed like he showed respect for Zach, but I think Zach needed to understand that he's under the gun here. He's got to prove to a new staff that he's going to do it the right way. There were things on tape from last year that weren't good, so hopefully that means Zach's working to show everybody.
(On leaders emerging early in training camp)
That's a part of training camp. You go through that with players, and you like that. We've got guys on this team that are leaders, and hopefully a week from now when everybody's tired and banged up and we've done some padded practices, they'll still be chirping like that.
(On Nate Washington)
I can't speak for what Nate (Washington's) done since he was with me in Pittsburgh. I watched him on tape, I like him as a player, but I think the most important thing is expectations. He knows what the expectations are. He knows how we're going to go about operating, and I think he can be a good, for lack of a better word, ambassador for that. There's always questions with a new team, what are we doing, what's this going to be like, and Nate has an idea about that. I'm very pleased with Nate. He had a great spring, he's working really hard. Nate's in a good place for us his first two days. I'm happy that he's on our squad.
(On Kendall Wright as not only a slot receiver)
We're going to move Kendall around, we've already said that. He can do a lot of different things. We're going to try to put him in situations where we can explode that. He's an explosive player, good hands, he's got good vision. I really like what I've seen.
(On Kendall Wright improving as a player)
He's a very confident young man. That doesn't strike me as much as the improvement in his discipline and what he's doing, on his releases, on his route. All the little things that I think it takes to be a good player, he's shown. He's doing that day in and day out, and that's important.
(On Schwenke handling his role as a center)
He's a smart guy. I've been very impressed with his knowledge and protections and how he can redirect and get our guys on the same page. That's an important piece. I haven't seen a lot of him, because he didn't practice until the very end of the OTA period, but I really like what I'm seeing so far.
(On expectations for Daimion Stafford)
In a secondary, where it's crowded with some good players, you have to do that. He's been a good special teamer for this organization, and I know he wants to work to try to get more defensive reps, that's what you want to see. I think that's what camp's all about. Can he sustain that? You've seen that in practice and then when he starts to do it for a second day, when he starts to do it in the Green Bay game, then you're like okay, now we've got to talk about that.
(On Mike Mularkey)
Mike and I go back a long ways. We still talk about the days when he was with Pittsburgh and I was with Washington, and we practiced together. He's a good football coach. I love having a good football coach. We've already talked with Mike about a number of different things. I think, for me, I'm always looking for new things and ideas that we think work. Mike's been a good coach in this league for a long time.
(On Justin Hunter)
I see him being overeager at times, and that's part of being out of control and being young. We're going to continue to work on that. Make no mistake about it, the guy's a talented young player.
(On Taylor Lewan playing multiple positions in camp)
Since we've been playing in shorts, he's done okay. He's very athletic, and he's a big guy. He moves very well, so you would be predisposed to think he could do that. He's done okay. Once again, I haven't seen Taylor in pads yet. I've seen his college tapes, but I like everything about the way he works and the way he plays the game. I know that's what it's going to be when we put the pads on.
