On how much of this move is football related and how much is financial and on Sheldon Brown's unhappiness with his contract: "For us, this is always a football decision. We feel really good about some of the guys that we have on this football team at the position; the corner position. We get (CB) Ellis Hobbs back; we traded for Ellis Hobbs last year. We think he's going to have an opportunity to come in and compete. Obviously, we still have (CB) Joselio (Hanson). We have a couple of guys who can play corner, can play safety and we're excited about it."
On LB Alex Hall's role: "Alex is going to come in here and compete for a spot. We're going to start him off at (strongside) linebacker, at least on first and second downs. He'll have an opportunity to put his hand down on third down, as well. (Hall is an) interesting prospect for us. He was productive for Cleveland a couple years ago and didn't have as much of an opportunity in the last year."
On how this trade affects the other defensive backs on the team, especially Macho Harris: "We're going to put all those options together in terms of the combinations at safety and corner. I think it will all sort itself out here before we get to the first mini-camp."
On how much flexibility this gives the team to make other moves, given all the current draft picks: "I think it's exciting. I think it allows us to have a lot of options on draft weekend. If we wanted to go and move up or move around, I think that gives us those options."
On whether he views this as a rebuilding year: "We're trying to win, we're always trying to win. For us, this was a football decision. We're excited about some of the players on our team and we're excited about the quality in this draft."
On whether there is any corner on this team that can play at the level of Sheldon Brown and how much his desire to get a new contract figured into this trade: "First of all, I'd say again this is a football decision for us. It gave us a great opportunity to get two really good picks in this draft and it gives an opportunity for Ellis Hobbs who we traded for last year to step up and contribute to our defense. (CB) Asante Samuel has made some Pro Bowls. You asked if we feel like we have any other quality Pro Bowl caliber players and I think Asante has shown time and time again that he's that kind of player."
On whether there is a corner on this team who is just as good as Sheldon Brown and who can fill in for him, as well: "We like Ellis Hobbs. Ellis Hobbs was a starter on a team that was 18-0. We think Ellis Hobbs is a good starting corner in this league. We think we have other players on this team who can step into that spot and contribute. Obviously we have some options here going forward in the draft and we'll just see what other things become available here."
On the current off-season so far and the veterans the team has cut: "I think all those veterans have been good players for us and I don't want to slight those guys at all. I'm really appreciative of the contributions they've made to our team and our success. Just as we've looked at it going forward and this year and what kind of team we wanted to build, we saw an opportunity to do that and obviously it won't take full shape until we get to mini-camp and even further than that. We have a direction, we have a plan and we're just trying to execute it. Sometimes if you look at a pieced meal, it doesn't all come together."
On the possibility of making a move for Seattle G Rob Sims: "We can't talk about any players under contract to any other teams."
On whether there are cornerbacks in the draft that could potentially start for a team as rookies: "Certainly. If you look at the whole picture, we obviously feel that there is some good depth on the defensive side of the ball without getting into specific positions. If you look at the history of the past couple years in the draft, the guys coming in contributing at any position, you see that there are opportunities for rookies to come in and start and play at a high level."
On what he would say to the fans about trading Sheldon Brown for a fourth- and fifth-round pick: "What I'd is that we're trying to build a great team here and a great defense and a team that they're proud of. We're going to try to execute that. We understand, Sheldon is one of my favorite players. When I spoke to him today, I told him, I thanked him for all of his contributions. I understand those feelings, I just say, 'Hang with us and see the players we bring in here.' I think they'll be excited once those guys get on the field."
On whether the team considered moving Sheldon Brown to safety: "Yeah, we talked about that, like we talk about all things. But Sheldon wants to play corner, he views himself as a cornerback and that's kind of where that ended."
