HEAD COACH JIM MORA
(on Chris Johnson)
If you weren't playing him you'd love watching him on film. He is something else. He's as good as they get. He's patient, he sets things up well, he's got great burst, he's got great speed, he's slippery, he breaks tackles, he catches the ball coming out of the backfield, he's the total package. Like I said, he's really a fun player to watch on film if you appreciate great football, but when you're preparing for him it's a little daunting.
(on if he expects to see a lot of Chris Johnson)
What's the single season rushing record? 2,105? That's a lot of yards for one game. Hopefully we can do our jobs well enough to win the game. That's the most important thing for us is to win the game. I'm sure Tennessee feels the same way and I know they're motivated to get him to 2,000 which would be a heck of an accomplishment. Our job is to try to deny that and that's what we'll try to do.
(on being the team to give up the yardage to reach 2,000)
I think whatever his yardage total ends up being this year, it's been a remarkable year for him and that offensive line and everybody that blocks for him and the play-caller. Whether he ends up with 2,000-plus or 1,900, it's just been an incredible year for the young man. There's great things to come for him. He's only in his second year. This won't be the last time we're talking about him breaking 2,000, I don't think.
(on Matt Hasselbeck's problems)
That's a good question. Different things. As you know, we've had nine turnovers in the last two games, eight interceptions. Some of that is bad luck, some of that is good coverage, some of that is good pressure upfront forcing an inaccurate throw, some of that is Matt being his competitive self trying to drive the ball in when maybe he shouldn't. It's a combination of a lot of things. Some of it's us being behind and taking some chances that you wouldn't normally take. But we're trying to get those things fixed.
(on the Titans' offensive line)
I think they are an outstanding offensive line. I think as a group they play together as well as any line we've seen, just the five guys functioning together. Kevin (Mawae) in the middle holding it together as the axis of that thing and the way they are coached by Mike (Munchak). They are as an impressive as a group as I've seen. When you take the combination of the run totals and the way they protect the quarterback and held the sacks down, I think it'd be hard to argue with my point that they're one of the very best in the business.
(on Alge Crumpler's weight)
His role's changed a little bit. They're using him more as a blocker. I have tremendous regard for Alge as a player and as a person. He is tough, he's got integrity and honor. He's a great man, a great father, a great dad. He was one of the guys when I first went to Atlanta that I knew I could count on and help us have success really right off the bat. He's just tough, no nonsense. I'm really looking forward to saying hi to him on Sunday.
(on if he knew Alge Crumpler does ballroom dancing)
No, he doesn't. Well, that doesn't surprise me. For as big of a man he is he's pretty darn graceful. He's got great feet, great hands. Maybe we'll see him on Dancing with the Stars.
(on the Seahawks run defense)
Early in the season our second game against (Frank) Gore we gave up a 78-yarder and an 80-yarder, and they were ugly. Since then we've done a nice job of eliminating the big gain against us on the run until last week when Ryan Grant took one 59. We've been good, but not perfect and against this guy you have to be perfect or else he's really going to make you pay. There's no one like him in the league. There's no one like Chris Johnson in the league that combines his speed, elusiveness, open field running ability, ability to catch the ball, patience, vision. I mean, he's just something special.
(on if he's talked to his team about not letting Chris Johnson gain 2,000 yards on them)
Every time they talk about the great rushers of all time, you don't want to be one of the guys missing the tackle for eternity. You're sitting there watching ESPN with your grandkids in 40 years, 'Hey, look at granddad there missing that tackle on Chris Johnson when he went over the 2,000-yard mark.' Yeah, we've talked about that. I haven't had to say a whole lot. I think the guys understand it. We're in the digital age and they all know how quickly it's going to get out. They know every time he carries the ball they'll be cutting in watching it. So, they're motivated by that.
(on how tough it is to simulate Chris Johnson in practice)
It's really hard. You really can't. You just have to watch a lot of film. We've got to be patient and you've got to do your job. He's just great at setting people up, getting them to commit one way and then taking it the other way. We just have to do a really good job of being patient and being disciplined. If we do that then we'll have a chance. If we don't then he'll find some success. He's that good.
(on who has imitated Chris Johnson on their scout team)
Well, we brought Usain Bolt in, signed him to our practice squad. No, we've just got a couple guys back there working it.
(on the what he sees in the Titans' pass rush)
Tenacity. They kind of embody their position coach, coach (Jim) Washburn. He's a tenacious guy and I think they're a lot like him. It's hard not to respect Kyle (Vanden Bosch) and the way he plays the game. You know, rush and coverage go hand-in-hand. We've had our own struggles rushing the passer and part of that is because at times our coverage isn't as secure as it needs to be. I think that any coach will tell you that in order to have successful pass rush you have to have good coverage, and in order to have good coverage you have to have good pass rush. So, I think they're no different than anybody.
(on if you have to have someone that demands a double team to have a successful pass rush)
I don't know if you have to, but if you can it certainly helps to free other guys up. If you got a guy that can beat a double team then you're really cooking. But if you're rushing four and they have five, they're going to have a double team on somebody. So, I don't know. They've got the ability to rush the passer though.
