Injury report: "(LB) Stewart Bradley will not practice today with a dislocated elbow. And then, (G) Max (Jean-Gilles) with the ankle sprain (and) he will not practice today. Both are getting better, we'll see how they do as the week goes on."
Opening remarks: "Again we look forward to the challenge of playing the Green Bay Packers and we know they're a good football team; obviously, all the teams you play in the playoffs are good football teams. We look forward to bringing them in here with our fans. Our fans will be a very important part of this with their ability to create noise. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on an offense and in particular one that uses the snap count as well as they do. And again, they're a good solid team on offense, on defense and on special teams. Our guys are going to go through the process this week of preparing for them and make sure that they exhaust that process and understand the Packers in and out, there."
On the challenge the Packers offense presents: "Well, he does a nice job. First of all (Packers QB Aaron Rodgers) has good wide receivers and he is a good quarterback, and he uses them all. And so, that's a great challenge for our defense and I know our guys look forward to that challenge."
On QB Michael Vick's status: "He was 2.33 percent today (joking). He's okay."
On mentioning the fans at home and whether having only four wins at home bothers him: "Well, obviously the fans aren't playing the (football) game. But you know, we have to take care of that as coaches, and as players we have to make sure we do our job better. But I know our fans, man. There's no better place to play than right here. And when they're cranked up it's a tough, tough (place to play). I've been on the other end of that. So it's a tough thing to play against."
On whether Vick will be limited at all in practice this week: "No."
On whether Samuel is 100 percent:"He's getting there. The rest of the guys are good to go, yeah. It's just (Jean-Gilles and Bradley); everybody else is good to go."
On whether Vick's ability to move out of the pocket is where it needs to be with his injury: "Yeah, I think he'll be fine. I think he'll be fine, just have to play."
On whether the new overtime rules will take any of his time this week:"Well, we took a minute to go over it with the players. Now, I spent time in the offseason with the coaches, and then went back and we reviewed it again the last couple days here and all the different scenarios. You know, there are some unique things that you're going to be challenged with it if they appear. So we'll see how all that works."
On whether there is one thing about the new overtime rules that he will stress to the team that's important: "Well, I'd rather not. There are certain situations where you have to make a pretty big decision, particularly if the other team is up by a field goal and you're in that second possession there – your first possession, but the second possession of the overtime. You start getting inside that 10-yard line there are some big-time decisions that you have to kind of digest and make sure that you have an answer for when you get there."
On whether he thinks there is an advantage coming from the Green Bay Packers under former coach Mike Holmgren and team owner Ron Wolf: "Well listen, they're a stable organization all the way from the board on down. So I think they have a great front office. And I think, just what you're saying, that the continuity of being there throughout the Holmgren time period, and then some of them actually went to Seattle with Mike (Holmgren), and then now they're back. And the personnel department was all taught by Ron Wolf who has a legitimate shot of being a Hall of Fame general manager. So that's a solid bunch."
On what organizational/front office things he learned in Green Bay and what he brought to Philadelphia with him: "I've said that before that I had a hard time believing as a head football coach in the National Football League anybody did it any better than Mike Holmgren. And now that I've been a head coach I still feel that way. I just, the way he handled all the different situations I thought there weren't a lot of holes there. And he's a smart guy and he's good with people and just makes good decisions. And then Ron Wolf kind of allowed me into that world there of personnel and shared things with me and we developed a friendship and he taught me things along the way that are invaluable. So I was very fortunate to be in a situation with those two guys."
On whether he's faced a player this season that has made a bigger defensive impact than LB Clay Matthews: "Well, I'll tell you, this guy's a candidate for the defensive player of the year, and so on. So he's as good a defensive player that's out there. He has a motor like (DE) Trent Cole where it's just non-stop and he goes. There are no slow moments."
On whether CB Dimitri Patterson is the team's starter at right cornerback:"Yes."
On his level of concern moving into the playoffs with the shape of the offensive and defensive lines: "Well, I guess you probably saw that against Dallas we were able to go in and compete against what I consider a team that has two pretty good lines and make it a ballgame. So we have good depth there. We have guys who have had opportunities to play whether it was here or at other places, they have experience. So I feel good about that and it all does start with the front. Now do they have a great challenge? Absolutely, and that's the fun part about this."
On whether he is comfortable relying on the defense in a close, low-scoring game:"Well, I have all kinds of trust in all three phases. So I'm not worried about that. Our guys will get – you know they have to go through the process here, but they'll be ready to go when it's time."
On whether CB Gerard Lawson will be returning kicks:"Yes."
On whether he sees any fundamental changes in the way he coaches offensively in the post-season as compared to the regular season: "Not necessarily, no. We try to keep it as aggressive as possible during the season and during the playoffs."
On him talking about 'going through the process', what is the process, and whether it is different with so many young players: "It's important that with the young players, the one's that haven't been through this, that they understand that the speed of the game is faster in the playoffs and every level you go up it's faster. The other thing is that mistakes are magnified, and so you have to really make sure, if you weren't before exhausting the process and making sure that you had all the questions answered prior to the game, had your film study done, taken care of your body and gotten the rest, and all those things you need to do to compete, that you have to get that taken care of or you get exploited. I mean, that's how it works. But we have a pretty diligent group here with the young players and we have some good veteran players that have been through it and can share their experience."
On whether he rested DE Trent Cole because he was a little worn down at the end of the season: "I mean, I had spots I went through subjectively - you know unless it was Bradley or somebody that was hurt - I went through subjectively and just sat guys in spots that I could sit them; I had the spots to do that and I wasn't going to play Trent. And that has nothing to do with wearing down or anything."
On whether the guys that didn't play on Sunday look rested and have a bounce in their step:"Yeah listen, in particular with the guys that have been through it, they're excited about this time of year and I'm sure (Packers head coach) Mike (McCarthy) could sit here and tell you the same thing about his team, the guys are fired up. It's a great privilege to be in the playoffs, it's a great reward, and then there's a certain energy that goes with it. We have a few more (media) in this room than we normally do and everything. So that's the way it works. Everything is just a little – there's a difference."
On whether creating turnovers when facing a team like the Packers is the utmost priority: "Turnovers are magnified, man. Your takeaway, giveaway, all of that, that's very important; field position, very important."
On whether it is a different dynamic and feel to the playoffs for him with all of the old veterans on the team gone: "Yeah, it's new and exciting. And you know how I feel about those other guys that you mention here. I mean, they left their legacy here that will always stand and it's a phenomenal one, every one of the ones that you name. But it's new and I like it, I mean, it's exciting. I liked it when the other guys were here, this is a little different, and heck, I'm fired up."
On whether he is prepared for the overtime rule change so if he encounters overtime his decisions are more mechanical:"Yeah, well there are certain things that you need to take into consideration; the stat people would say there are assumptions involved and I'm not good with assumptions. I like facts. But the bottom line is you can't sit and predict weather, or the control of the game, which way it's going, and so on. You have to wait until you're in that moment. But there are certain things that you can cover, that you better think through."
On whether he thinks Vick understands the adjustments defenses have made against him and whether he takes seriously countering those adjustments: "I think Michael, he's aware of that. And like I said before, I think it's important starting with me that we're all aware of it and it's a team effort, there. In the case you're talking about it's an offensive effort to make sure that everybody's on the same page and we're rolling there. But to answer your question, yes, he's aware of it."
