Injury report: "Really the only injuries we have are (QB) Vince (Young), and he actually took snaps today, but we have him listed as doubtful. And then, (CB) Asante (Samuel) just tweaked his shoulder a little bit and he should be okay; he'll be on the report as probable. So I think when it's all said and done he's fine."
Opening remarks: "We look forward to the opportunity to go to Saint Louis and play the Rams. We know it's a loud venue there with it being a (dome) stadium. We've had plenty of work with that and the guys have had a good week of work. And I know they're looking forward to actually playing in a game, here."
On whether he has reflected on getting off to slow starts in past seasons: "Well, I have looked at that and it is .500 (record) or really close to it. So there's really not one thing you can put your finger on there but I think we've prepared well and we'll see how it all works."
On whether having a young team makes the self-scouting process harder: "No, listen, what we did is try to get ready to play the Rams. And we've had a good week of work for that."
On his thoughts about the Rams pass rush: "Very explosive, their pass rush is very explosive. Defensively when you look at their stats from 2010 they're very good. And you look at their sack standing, where they were being seventh in the National Football League. So that's an impressive stat. And we know they can rush the passer, and so our offensive linemen, they've gone and they've studied that and have a lot of respect for those guys."
On his thoughts about how Young looked today in practice: "Yeah, he was taking them from the center, obviously. And he did okay, you know, he looked okay."
On whether it is a challenge to coach against coaches that used to be on the staff: "When we first started here we had a few games against Seattle that were okay. And then, we've had a few of the other ones. But that's how things work; we've had a couple good ones against Minnesota prior to. And I know there's some pretty good coaches that I've worked for and also have left here so I respect them."
On whether he enjoys playing against former coaches: "Well, you know, I think when it's all said and done you play the game, that's what you do. So you really don't get into all that part of it. Once the ball's snapped it's about the guys playing and making sure that you maintain your focus as a coach and that you prepare yourself and are as sharp as you possibly can be."
On whether he is worried that WR DeSean Jackson will play to avoid injury: "No, I don't see that at all. He's ready to play the Rams, that's what he's ready to do, and as is our football team."
On whether he expects WR Steve Smith to play Sunday: "There's a chance he does, yeah. There's a chance, but I can't tell you how many snaps or that. But there's a chance he does play."
On whether Smith will be on the injury report: "Not as of right now. No."
On his thoughts about the conditioning of DE Juqua Parker: "Yeah, I think he's in pretty good shape right now. So he should be able to get out there and play."
On whether there are other wide receivers that have come back from microfracture surgery quickly: "I think you need to look at his. And really, I've mentioned this before, each one's different and each guy heals a little differently. The unique part of his is that it didn't include the ligaments or the cartilage; there wasn't damage to either one of those. So he was able to recover a little bit faster than you might if you included those. And the one thing, and again this is by individual, but he has not had any swelling in it. And I know our doctors and trainers have worked hard with him on that and kept a close eye on him. But his body is just unique, I think."
On his comfort level with the offensive line: "I'm excited to see them play together. So that's how I look at it. We have some good players in there and I'm excited to see them have an opportunity to play again."
On whether he needs to keep rookie C Jason Kelce and rookie LB Casey Matthews from getting too hyped up: "Well listen, they played a little bit of football, both of them, and they practiced hard. And it's important that you trust the preparation that you put in. And they both have a lot of responsibilities to make calls so you have to keep yourself in the right frame of mind where you can make the adjustments that are needed at both positions."
On whether Matthews will make all of the calls at middle linebacker: "Matthews makes the calls, yeah. Well listen, they all communicate, but your middle linebacker is normally your primary signal caller. He's the one with the headphone."
