Opening Comments: "Alright injuries – everybody will practice today. (WR) Jeremy (Maclin) will practice, (CB) Nnamdi (Asomugha), (T) King Dunlap will be back, (CB Dominique) Rodgers-Cromartie will be back, (QB) Michael (Vick) will be back and go through practice. We'll go inside today and do a normal Wednesday practice. We look forward to the challenge of playing the Miami Dolphins; they're a good football team, probably the hottest team in football right now. My guys are going to work their tail off this week in preparation to play the Dolphins and, again, as coaches and players we look forward to the challenge of playing them."
On whether the starting safeties will remain the same: "Yes."
On whether he will continue to play S Jaiquawn Jarrett on defense: "Well the two starters are the starters; it just depends on the personnel group that we're trying to work in."
On what he looks for as far as signs that he is still getting through to the players while things aren't going well: "Obviously, you always want to make sure people are paying attention and practicing hard. That's the approach, as coaches and players, we're taking."
On how Vick felt after throwing on Monday for the first time: "He felt good. He actually threw the ball around pretty good on Monday, felt good Tuesday, feels good today."
On whether Vick will definitely start Sunday: "Well, unless there's a setback, you know, who knows. We'll just see how he does here in the next few days. I can tell you today he feels good."
On what his message is to the team this week knowing that they are still alive in the NFC East race: "Practice hard and get better at what we do. We've identified where the issues are as players and coaches, and let's get better at those things."
On whether he thinks Rodgers-Cromartie will be able to play this week: "We'll see how he does today. He went through the walkthrough. High-ankle sprains are a little tricky. We've just got to see how it works out. He went through the workout on Monday, and we'll see how he does today."
On Asomugha's knee: "I think his knee feels pretty good. He's moving around better than what he did last week."
On the kind of year that Rodgers-Cromartie was having prior to his injury and his frustration with his new role: "That's the thing – the new role. He was learning, and I think his last few downs were his best downs. He was getting better every week. When you move a player that's been an outside player his whole career, and then move them inside and ask them to play that nickel, it's a different dynamic. But I thought each week he was getting better and more confident. Then in the Arizona game I thought he did some good things."
On whether he still believes that Rodgers-Cromartie has a future as a slot corner, or whether ultimately he is an outside guy: "Well listen, I think he can do both, he's just got to continue to get better at the inside position. He's a Pro Bowl player as an outside player. The main thing is that he continues to work at getting better at that spot and then not lose anything on the outside."
On whether he feels that it has been a difficult season for S Nate Allen because of his injury last season, as well as the lockout and being pulled right before the season started: "I think historically you look at injuries like he had, that it takes probably the whole year to get yourself back, but you've got to play, you've got to continue to play, and work through it, and that's what he's done. He's had a lot of very good downs for us."
On whether the front office has approached him about firing defensive coordinator Juan Castillo in order to return as Eagles head coach next season: "Listen, nobody's approached me on it. My mind is to continue to get better as coaches and players. My mind goes no further than that. That's where I'm at. We're right in the middle of this thing and we've got to continue to get better. That's what we have to do."
On what has kept DE Brandon Graham from being more of a contributor this season: "Well, we worked Brandon in, and then he had a little swelling on the knee so we backed him off, and then we gradually started working him back in. I look at, the same thing I told him, is that I look to see how he's getting off on the scout team, and then continue to get into football shape at the same time, and then make sure he's getting his treatment to keep the swelling down, which he's done. I think he's making progress in the right direction. I thought last week the same thing. I thought he was coming around there rebounding."
On his impression of QB Vince Young after having three full games to look at him and whether he thinks he is in the right position as the number two quarterback: "Listen, I've been very proud of Vince and the way he's handled himself and the complex offense. He'd be the first to tell you, again, that you can't turn the football over. I won't tell you that, like I've said before all of them weren't his responsibility, although he takes it as his responsibility. We've all got to a better job with those, and it's coaching, it's playing, it's the whole deal. Again, I think he's learning as he goes about the offense, it's an experience in the offense. He's sure had some good downs for us, and then there's a few he'd like to have back."
On whether Young is still the backup quarterback: "Yes, he is."
On whether S Colt Anderson had his surgery and what his loss means to the team: "Yes. He's a very good player, I mean, I think that's probably an understatement. If you look at a guy that's a Pro-Bowl caliber special teams player you'd say Colt was having that type of year. After he has the surgery he'll continue to get better here and go through the rehab process and get himself back. He was having a great year. He's been evaluated, he does have an ACL (injury), and he will have the surgery."
On how tough the season has been: "The obvious (answer) to that question is when we come in as players and coaches, we come in to win every football game. And when you don't, you're disappointed. The reality of it is, is we're where we're at now, now what do we do? We're going to get better, and so that's what we're shooting for, that's where our energy's at. That's a complex question, but that's the answer to that question. Very simple reasoning to it, but we've got to get better. Identify the problems, get better at them."
On the broad issues that he's found: "The obvious are turnovers and penalties. You can't have as many turnovers as we've had and expect to come out of the games with a win. The games that we have not turned the ball over, against good football teams, we've played very well and won the game. With penalties in crucial situations, you add that to the turnovers and the turnovers in the red zone. I think, around the league, you're seeing defenses that have started off slow and as the season goes on, they're gaining experience and getting better. That's throughout the league. With the offenses that are limiting the turnovers and the teams with explosive offenses have been the ones winning games right now."
On why that hasn't happened: "There are several reasons, but I won't go into those. I think we're working on getting better with those."
On whether the front office has talked about giving support: "We talk all the time. I know we're going, but there is nothing there. We're in it to continue to get better and we're all going in that direction right now."
On whether they have expressed frustration: "I'd answer it the same way I answered the question before. If you ask me about every person in this building, we're all here to win football games. That's starting at the top with Jeffrey Lurie. That's why he does this and that's why he owns this team is to win championships. We try to win football games, and that is what we all do. We try to win every game, and when we don't we're disappointed."
On whether he has miscalculated how much would time would be needed with all the new moving parts: "That's the way the NFL works today. You're going to have change-over and I understood that we were going to be young up the middle, and our primary concern is to ensure that we're going to continue to get better. So that's what we're working on doing."
On why this hasn't come along as quickly: "We need to just continue to get better, and that's what we need to do. That's how we have to work."
On what has changed with the Miami Dolphins over the past five games: "They made a QB switch, and he's playing lights out right now, doing a nice job. I have a lot of respect for Mike Nolan, who runs their defense, and Mike's done a nice job with the defense with a variety of things that he does there."
