TITANS HEAD COACH KEN WHISENHUNT PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - October 7, 2015
(on how the team looked in practice today coming off the bye week)
Well they came back Monday, technically. We got it then and we got it today. It was good. I think coming off the bye week, that's what you would expect.
(on how difficult it is to prepare when the opposing team has issues at a certain position)*
I think whenever you're looking at an opponent, you try to see what they do well, and you don't know. That's part of it. You try to prepare based off of what you've seen. They've had two different running backs playing already, so you have a pretty good set of what you think they'll do. But really, it's about playing your defense and communicating and making sure you play as best as you can.
(on what he liked about Boobie Dixon when he spent time during a free agent visit in Tennessee last year)
He's been in the league; he's been in San Francisco for a number of years when Jason (Michael) was there I think, and certainly when I was in Arizona. So he's a good special teamer, he's a physical guy, he does a lot of different things. He's a good player, that's why we brought him in when we were trying to get him here.
(on how it feels to have the whole team back and close to healthy)
Well it's good to have everybody practicing. I don't know that we're all the way back yet. We've got a couple guys that we're working back into practice. But it's good to have everybody back. That's something that you don't get, once you get to the season, you probably, realistically, never get a chance to see that. So where we're at right now, it's good.
(on how similar the Bills defense is to the Browns defense)
I would say probably there is a little bit of similarity to what the Browns do in relation to what Buffalo does, but Buffalo does a lot of different things. They have different personnel, they have different schemes. I can understand why there's a little bit of similarity because the coach in Cleveland (Mike Pettine) was there with Rex (Ryan) before. But Buffalo presents a whole different set of problems.
(on if the team's preparation for Tyrod Taylor compares to the way they prepared for Johnny Manziel)
I don't think you get into comparing players. Tyrod (Taylor) has had a good season so far. He's done a lot of nice things. That's a credit to him, a credit to their coaches and how they've done things. He does present problems from his abilities and he does a nice job with his throws. We've got to be really good in trying to counter that.
(on if practicing against Marcus Mariota helps prepare the defense for an athletic quarterback like Tyrod Taylor)
Well you guys said Marcus (Mariota) hadn't done a lot mobility-wise, so I don't know if that's the case. But once again, Charlie (Whitehurst) is pretty athletic moving around, so you try to give them a picture of that, game speed and what they do. It's always a little bit different. But I think the big thing is try to be disciplined and try to do the best we can to contain them and make our plays.
(on how Da'Norris Searcy has played so far this year)
He's been a good player. He's been a good player for us. He does a lot of good things on that defensive side of the ball, and we were certainly glad to get him in here.
(on the running back committee and how crucial it is for them to all get along)
Well they seem to be handling it well. I think they understand they're all really involved with what they're doing in the game plan each week. They all contribute on special teams. They're good teammates, they're good players. We don't know each week who it's going to be. We have different things for those guys every week and I think it's a good thing that we've had all the contributions from those guys. So I think it's a good thing and hopefully that continues.
(on if he wants to establish a featured running back or just go with what works)
Compared to last year, we really didn't run the ball very well at all. I'm just happy that we're more effective running the football. That to me is the first step. All that about if it's one back or if it's different guys, I really don't care, if we can be effective running the football, it helps with a lot of things. It helps time of possession, which we're doing pretty good. It helps with some of the play action game where we've hit some shots down the field. So it's an important part of it, and hopefully it continues. I don't care how it does, as long as it does.
(on if he expects Chance Warmack, Jason McCourty and Sammie Hill to play Sunday)
I don't know. We'll see how it progresses. This is the first day they got back out in the pads. It's always different when you get pads on, but it's really good to see them on the field. I can tell you one thing, they'll be back at some point. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later.
(on Rex Ryan owning a home on the same street as him in Nashville) I have not seen him. They say he lives there but I haven't seen him. Maybe we just haven't crossed paths yet. Neighbor, but maybe I just haven't been there very much.
