Injury Report: "[CB] Dimitri Patterson is the only one that won't at least get out and do some work. Today will be the first time [G/T] Todd Herremans gets out and moves around a little bit. He'll be out there about 15 to 20 minutes doing a little individual work in pads. We'll see how he does; this is really his first introduction to getting out on the field and it won't be a contact period. Everybody else is going to practice: [WR] Kevin Curtis is going to test out his knee and see how he's doing. [CB] Sheldon Brown, I mentioned about the abdominal pain, he'll be out there practicing. Everybody's out there: [CB] Asante [Samuel] and the whole crew I mentioned to you before."
Opening Remarks: "I look forward to the challenge of playing the Oakland Raiders. We understand their record but we understand the reality of what we see on tape. A team that came out and played San Diego right to the end, came back the following week and beat Kansas City. They have some young players that are very explosive on the offensive side and they're working through some things and the offensive line had a couple injuries. They're a potentially explosive football team. Then on defense, that defensive front is fully loaded and obviously they have if not the best, one of the best corners in the National Football League in [CB Nnamdi] Asomugha. They have good special teams. We have to prepare ourselves. Obviously we have a lot to work on when you finish a game the way we did with the penalties, we need to work on our tackling and blocking, we need to a better job there, a much better job to play the way we want play. There are all kinds of things that we need to work on. Make sure that we master exactly the scheme offensively, defensively, special teams that we're doing, but also that techniques, the schemes that the Raiders are doing."
On how to get an entire team to be more disciplined about penalties: "You have to practice fast. If anybody, whether it's on a show team, whether you're taking a play off here or there on the offense, defense or special teams side, that's going to lead to those things. There's a reason why we practice like we practice. We have to go back to the basics there and make sure that everybody is doing that. Using the proper techniques, don't get lazy on techniques, and make sure as coaches that we're teaching the techniques the right way. Put the players in a position where they can be successful. All those things, everybody needs to tighten it up when it comes to the penalty part with the players and the coaches. We're going to do that."
On whether instilling team discipline and going back to basics requires him to change practice around: "You want to practice fast, [and make sure] that you're using the proper techniques throughout practice [you] don't want to get lazy on any play. You to make sure that you finish every play the right way."
On whether this is the best offense he's coached in Philadelphia: "I think it's too early to tell. There's some talent here, young talent that are learning every week and trying to get better every week. We'll see. We'll see as they continue to mature as the season goes on."
On what he is hoping to see from Herremans in practice today: "It's going to be very basic. He's not going to do a whole lot. We're just going to get him back in the swing of doing of [offensive line coach] Juan [Castillo's] drills and just take it nice and easy and ease him back into playing football now."
On whether it is realistic to think Herremans will be able to play against the Redskins: "We kind of need to see here what happens. I don't want to lead you on to anything on this. This is the first step. I don't really know how it's going to turn out. I'm assuming that it's going to be okay. We'll just see. I think down the road here I'll be able to give you a more realistic answer as I see him work a little more."
On whether it is easier for him to not rush Herremans back onto the field because G/C Nick Cole, G Max Jean-Gilles and G/T Stacy Andrews have been playing well: "This injury, it really doesn't matter who you have in there. Although, I don't want to take anything away from Nick and Max and Stacy, they've done a nice job. This type of an injury you don't want to rush back, period. Not that we do that anyways. You want to make sure you take a little bit of a conservative approach on this and with Todd, that's a hard thing to do. He's an aggressive guy that wants to be out there. He has to be smart with it and we have to be smart with it and make sure this thing works out right."
On whether he thinks QB Donovan McNabb and RB Brian Westbrook are closer to being 100% health-wise: "They're feeling pretty good. Brian came out of the game feeling good, as did Donovan and Donovan took a couple of shots. I don't like seeing that, but at the same time I think that's good that he knows that he's okay there."
On whether Curtis' knee is fine now: "[Head athletic trainer] Rick [Burkholder] is working with him and the doctors are working with him. We don't know that. We're going to see. They've changed it up a little bit on some of the rehab stuff. We'll just see how he does and responds to it. If it doesn't work then we back off and look for something else."
On whether Curtis will be a full participant in practice: "He'll be out there. He'll be practicing. Will he take as many reps as he has in the past? No. We're just going to test it out and see how he does."
On whether he thinks there are things that McNabb could have done to avoid hits: "I think it was just playing the game. That's all part of playing the game. The quarterback is going to get hit somewhere during the game and he was moving around a little bit which I thought was good. Right from the first play on through he did a nice job of moving around."
On whether he thinks Westbrook will get more touches this week than last week: "We didn't have a lot of plays. Then we were rotating both he and [RB LeSean] McCoy. We'll continue to do that. Every week is a little different. This was very similar to the Carolina game where we didn't have a lot of offensive touches but that can change week to week obviously. We'll see. We didn't have an x number for him to carry the ball."
On whether he would continue the rotation of McCoy and Westbrook: "As long as [Westbrook] is continuing to make progress, I feel comfortable doing that. [McCoy] is playing well and until Brian gets back to where he is comfortable with the foot then that's what we'll do."
On whether he sees Westbrook as still being capable of getting big yardage runs: "He's going to touch the football. He's a good football player and he's somebody we try to get the football to. It's just a matter of him having that thing where he feels comfortable with it. Do I think he could still rip off a long run? Yeah, I think he could do that."
On the decision to play DT Antonio Dixon over DT Trevor Laws Sunday and the differences between them: "They are just two different body types and sizes. The one thing Dixon gives you is a push. He's a big, strong, physical guy and we had some pushes up the middle we were doing with him over the center and in the A-gaps and we thought he could get a little more push than the other guys in there. Then I also kept the 3 quarterbacks up and that's normally the position that you have your other defensive lineman or special teams player, whoever it might be."
On whether he'll activate three QBs Sunday: "We'll see this week. We'll see how that goes."
On WR DeSean Jackson going against CB Nnamdi Asomugha this weekend: "[Asomugha] has not been switching sides the last couple of years and they are very confident with their other corner. I don't know they'll match him up or won't match him up, they've kind of gotten away from that the last couple of years he's been strictly on the defensive right side, offensive left side. Somewhere DeSean's going to be over there, working against him, I think that will be a good matchup between the two. It will be great competition for both of them."
On whether things are changed up at all during the week when they are going against a team with a poor record: "I think that it's important that you take care of your business and you go through the process every week, if you slight that in the National Football League than you have problems. I watched this team, virtually the same team here, go down and play Tampa Bay last year and I don't think anyone in this room gave them a chance to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that directly affected our season so we kept a close eye on that game. They went down and they played their hearts out and they played a heck of a game and beat Tampa Bay and allowed us to go to the playoffs. I am not blinded by records. I do not get into what your record is. I think you take care of your business and you go through your process and if you slight that one bit then you have big problems on Sunday."
On whether he is concerned about the defense's ability to stop tight ends: "That's one of the better tight ends in the league. I thought we covered pretty well. The calls can go either way and he made a great play against [S] Macho [Harris]. Macho I thought had great coverage on him and I thought [LB] Chris [Gokong] had great coverage on him. Chris was flagged and the kid went up and over Macho, those things happen. Guys are going to make plays. I'm okay with the way we're doing. Can we get better? Yeah we can get better. We'll keep working on it. I thought that was an important game and good work for our players to learn from."
On whether LB Jeremiah Trotter will get more playing time Sunday: "We'll just see how it goes this week. He had 20 plays. I don't know if he'll get more than that. We'll just see how the game plan works out this week and go from there. He'll have another chance to get in and play."
On whether he sees the Raiders' defensive line as a test for the Eagles' offensive line: "It's a big test. I thought they had a big test last week. I thought one of the strengths of Tampa Bay was their defensive front. I will come back and tell you the same thing here. These are experienced, solid players, very good players on the Oakland Raiders defensive line. They all have great size and quickness. It's going to be a great challenge for us."
On what he thought the Raiders were doing well in the beginning of the season and have declined in doing since then: "They are an inch away from that. That's how it is in this league, I've said this before, you're never as good as you think, and you're never as bad as you think. They are an inch away from making things happen and it's important that we realize that and focus on doing our jobs the right way here."
On his opinion about the league's regulation of excessive celebrations this season: "I'm probably the wrong guy to ask that. I'm not really big into all of the celebrations. I've always said act like you've been there, but at the same time it is a little exciting. By the way, I have some guys that think they're gymnasts and do some pretty creative things. But I'm not here to give them a ten; I'm not here to grade them on that."
