On what he expects LB Jeremiah Trotter to contribute to the defense after being out of football for a year: "What is important with Jeremiah's situation is that he comes in and handles things one step at a time, he doesn't look to try to do too much. He just does what his role calls for. That's what we expect from every single player on that defense."
On what he has seen and what he is expecting to see from Trotter: "You've asked basically two questions there. What I've seen from Jeremiah is (that) he has kept himself in great shape over the last year and a half. With that, (he) has given himself a chance to come in and contribute, or else we wouldn't have made the move that we did at this point. What we look for going forward is, as I've mentioned before, a middle linebacker that will come in and add value to this defense like we expect a middle linebacker to do in terms of a physical presence and a nastiness inside."
On what Trotter brings to the table versus what LB Omar Gaither and LB Joe Mays can do: "When you are talking about versus Joe, you are talking about experience number one, and also with Omar to some extent even though Omar has played inside. Jeremiah has a number of years of experience on both of those guys and then he gives us leadership off the field and on the field, which is important. It's important to understand that Omar Gaither is a heck of a football player and his impact on this defense will not change. He will be called upon to make an impact both on and off the field. The same way he was before we brought Jeremiah in."
On Tampa Bay QB Josh Johnson: "(He is) a very dynamic football player. (He is) a young man that has the potential to be a great quarterback in this league. Although young, he has a tremendous skill set. With his arm strength, (he's) a very intelligent football player and then, quite frankly, what he can do with his feet gives them a chance to win football games down there."
On whether Johnson's ability to get outside the pocket and run is something they have to be aware of: "It sure is. Not only does he bring the different tools to the table but he brings a tremendous amount of energy to that team. They had a great chance to win that football game last week, for any of you that have watched the film, and he brings energy. He'll run the ball, he'll pull it down and run and (he) reminds me of (QB) Donovan (McNabb) early on in his career where teams had to defend – if he doesn't see what he wants to see he's taking off with that football. Now you have to defend 11 players as opposed to 10 players in the passing game."
On whether any player in particular stood out when he looked back at the previous three games: "We always have high expectations of our players, so it would be – I don't want to name any one player that has really stood out, but I have really been impressed by the team defense we have played in our two wins. We have played team-oriented defense and that's important. That guys swarm to the football, and as I mentioned before, that guys do their job and hold up their part of the defense. Really, when you look at the two wins we've had, that's what stands out the most. We are a swarming, aggressive defense and that will be our approach and that will continue into the future."
On whether they added Trotter because they needed to fill a hole in the defense or because he could add to what the team already had: "Regardless of who we added and regardless of who we add moving into the future you're always looking to improve your football team. It wasn't necessarily to fill a void, yet to add value to the equation in terms of who we are as an organization and a football team and a defensive football team more specifically. Anytime we can improve in that area, we are going to look to do that."
On getting LB Tracy White on the field in the nickel package against the Chiefs:"Really (it was) just maximizing our personnel. Playing to our strengths and using the personnel that is at our disposal. It's important from a coaching standpoint and a staff standpoint that we scour our team and utilize our players' strengths and work in those directions, so we don't get through the season or midway through the season and say, 'We should have had this player on the field the whole time.' As you evaluate and re-evaluate daily and weekly, it's important that you have the right personnel on the field."
On what he saw from White: "When you look at Tracy, he's got great speed and coverage ability. When we are looking to match up on a tight end, he can do that for us."
On whether the team is unhappy with what Gaither has done so far: "Absolutely not, Omar has done a nice job. As I mentioned earlier, he will continue to do a good job for us and that's what we expect. His impact on this football team will not change. He's a good player, he's a leader both on and off the field and this is in no way a sign or an indication of his performance up to this point. As I mentioned earlier, it's an opportunity for us to improve. It really doesn't matter what position or what player we bring back or bring in. It's an opportunity for us to improve as a defensive football team."
On red zone defense and what the team can do to improve inside the 20-yard line: "It comes back to me, as a play-caller, putting them in the right position to succeed and make plays. If it's in the red zone, which is one area that you mentioned, that's what I need to do a better job of. I went back over the bye week and re-evaluated our players, personnel-wise, but also re-evaluated my calls and the positions I put them in. Specifically to the red zone question, I need to put them in better positions in different areas in the red zone."
On how much he was able to take away from the process of self scouting: "A tremendous amount. I look to improve myself every week and the bye week for me is a chance to go back and scour what I've done, how we're doing things and who we are going into the future."
On whether at some point you have to stick to your principles as a coach: "You try to. It's important that you do have a plan and that you have a vision moving forward and you execute that plan. Yet, it's important to be flexible at the same time. If the plan during that game or that week is not working, then you need to re-evaluate who you are and what you are doing."
On whether he sees S Quintin Demps getting back on the field or if the team has moved on: "I don't think moving on is the right phrase. I do. Quintin is a talented football player that has a great work ethic and a tremendous attitude. He's adding value right now on special teams and I am sure he will contribute at some point in the future for us, moving ahead on defense."
On whether he expects Tampa Bay to check down and try to exploit Trotter in pass coverage: "We know our players' strengths and weaknesses, so it's my job to scheme to our strengths both scheme-wise and personnel-wise. You'd have to ask Tampa what they plan to do. I really don't know. We're going to have a plan in place."
On the challenges of playing against TE Kellen Winslow Jr.: "He's a matchup problem. When you look at tight ends in this league, you've got to have linebackers and/or DBs that can cover tight ends. Then when they have two on top of that, very dynamic tight ends, with TE Jeremy Stevens there, they pose matchup problems. Kellen Winslow being the biggest problem of the two."
On how he expects to use Trotter: "Well there are 60 or 70 different situations in the game and so situational awareness in football is what will dictate those decisions. Before that, it's important to have a plan going into the game and there is a plan in place right now."
On whether Trotter looks like he would be able to hold up physically playing start to finish: "He does and what's impressive to me at this point is the way he's kept himself in tremendous shape. Now, pedestrian shape and football shape are two different deals. We have to be smart with how we plan to use Jeremiah in this first game and in the weeks come in order to give him a chance to succeed early on."
On whether the team plans to try to exploit Johnson's inexperience by disguising their coverages: "(Jokingly) You do know other teams listen to these press conferences right? (Serious) Of course, he's a young quarterback and I wouldn't be doing my job if we didn't try to expose some of that, yes."
On the play of DE Trent Cole and what he has seen from him thus far:"He's a guy that puts pressure on the quarterback and he's relentless. That's what you look for in a defensive end. He's got a motor that never quits and I don't know how you block him. If you try and block him with two guys, or three guys, or four guys, I don't know how you try and block that guy."
