Q. How do you feel at safety at this point, safety depth. You have a bunch of new guys that have been in recently, Bradley (McDougald)'s out there, any of them distinguishing themselves, do you feel like you've got some real competition?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I think we brought those guys in – shoot, they have been here two weeks now and they kind of fit right in. They pick stuff up pretty quickly. I mean, it's been competitive, like after the first two, like it's been competitive and we're going to have some tough decisions to makes as this thing goes, Jon (Robinson) and Mike (Vrabel), just to kind of see where this thing's at. But, I mean, right now it's a pretty competitive group and it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.
Q. How much do you fight for guys as you near roster cuts? What's the conversation like with you and Mike (Vrabel), any time you try to make some cuts?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, they do a good job of including us and asking our opinions on guys. Obviously, it comes down to Jon (Robinson) and Mike (Vrabel), and their vision for as this thing goes. But we do, we have opinions. As a DC, as a position coach, we kind of have a feel for these guys, how they're going to fit the unit, that's a big part of it. Not just necessarily the best player, but how they're going to fit the unit, the piece that we need, who might have some more versatility but might not be as talented, all that stuff comes into play. So, it will be interesting to see here in the next couple days.
Q. The call against (Breon) Borders, kind of said what a personal foul is there or do you think that was a little harsh?
SHANE BOWEN: I think that's the rules. Like you can't have unnecessary contact. He slung the guy down. We have seen that called a lot throughout the past couple years.
Q. Did Caleb (Farley) get more snaps than you expected?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, I think as the game went it kind of was what it was. We had an idea of how much we wanted to play him, along with everybody else. He got in, got his work done, and then we put some other guys in there.
Q. How confident are you in the progress that Caleb (Farley) has made?
SHANE BOWEN: I think he's learning every day. I do. These games are extremely valuable to him. Going out there and actually doing it, being able to take it from practice to the game, and again, he's a rookie. We talked about this before, he's learning every day, he's trying to refine his techniques and fundamentals, where he's not just going out there and trying to play ball, 'I got this cat,' like it doesn't work that way here. It comes down to technique, fundamentals, your eyes, all those little details of doing your job and I think he's improving, but it's an everyday thing.
Q. How much pride have you taken in no touchdowns allowed and disappointed that you gave up a couple tonight?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, I was encouraged with the way we have been playing. Not necessarily the points aspect of it, but the way we have been playing, the energy, the flying around. I was disappointed with the two-minute drive there at the end, didn't think we executed very well, and you get penalties in two-minute and it kills you. We got two big penalties there, stopped the clock in chunk plays, right? So, we've got to improve that. It was good to get in that situation, but it's got to be better. But I've been encouraged up to this point with guys momentum that we're kind of starting to build, confidence, everything that goes with it.
Q. What is the last time as a staff that you guys talked to Mike (Vrabel) and what was his message to you guys tonight?
SHANE BOWEN: Yes, we had a staff meeting this morning and it was status quo, kind of go through the same deal, make sure we were good operationally with everything, with the adjustments we made. I mean, he's been engaged throughout the week with everything going on, obviously, just he wasn't here tonight and that was probably the biggest thing prior to tonight is just making sure everybody's on the same page with kind of how things were going to operate with Stretch (John Streicher) and Auk (Craig Aukerman). I'm sure he was watching, like I'm sure I might have some text messages when I get back in the locker room, but I'm sure he was watching. So, we'll see.
Q. Stretch (John Streicher) how was he doing enjoying his moment in the sun?
SHANE BOWEN: He enjoyed it a lot. He does a lot of that stuff, him and Mike (Vrabel) communicate a lot during the game anyway, just in terms of game management and situations and all that type of stuff. So, he's been involved in that throughout his time here, so it was good to see him down there and kind of doing it.
Q. Generally you guys have been better maybe not so much tonight but in general the pre-season has been pretty good for you guys. Do you feel that there's any increased sense of confidence going into the regular season after what happened last year?
SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. I mean, that's what we have been preaching, getting these guys to fly around, play with confidence, challenge, expect to win their one-on-ones across the board, whatever it is. Any call that's made, like expect to execute. I think they're taking hold of it. I think they're accepting the challenge. I think they're embracing it. We just got to continue to do that, continue to find success and hopefully it continues to build for us.
(on outside linebacker Derick Roberson )
SHANE BOWEN: I think he's had a good camp. I do. He's done some things, I think he's grown up. I think he's become more of a pro this year than he has been in the past. Part of that is maturity. They're young guys when they come out of college, and now they're getting adjusted, first time on their own, all that stuff, so I think it's been a process for him. But I think he's matured, and I think it carries over in his day-to-day, how he practices, and then obviously that carries over to gameday.
Q. What were your impressions of (Justin) Fields and was it good to be able to get some work against a mobile quarterback before the season starts?
SHANE BOWEN: Absolutely. You guys saw how Atlanta went. It wasn't great. We talked about that going into the game, that we've got to be better, more coordinated, more disciplined when we rush those type of players. So, I think it was good. I think he made some plays with his legs, he threw some balls up that guys did a good job playing back for it. So, it was a good test for us, especially going into Week One, a guy like Kyler (Murray), similar skillset. So, I was glad we had the opportunity tonight.
