Opening remarks: "Where we are at right now is we're doing the fourth preseason game, which is really two things. The players and coaches are doing really two things. With the twos and threes, it's very important to gameplan and try and put them in the best situation for that each individual path of success. With the ones, we're focusing in the film room on our first regular season ballgame. That's the way it is at this time going into the fourth preseason game. Regarding the last ballgame, we have to get better at a host of things that's first. I went back through it and tried to pick out players who played very well.
"(TE) Brent Celek played very well, and other than that, there were a couple mistakes at every position. We tried to chase after perfection, and we just didn't get it done last ballgame. We're working very hard and very diligently both on and off the field so our hard work and preparation comes into play here. We've made some moves, and that's even more important with hard work and preparation."
On whether Brent Celek performed better in one particular area or another: "He played very well all around. He had one play that I talked to him about that was just a poor play overall that he could've done a little bit better but other than that, I thought he played at a very high level. It probably didn't look like it, but he did."
On the backup quarterback position: "Vince Young has really progressed at a high rate. I'm excited for him and Mike Kafka about Thursday night. This will be a tough one, and we have to be right on to have any success at all in this type of scenario because the Jets are excellent at many things on defense. However, I am excited to continue to see Vince Young's progress."
On whether Vince Young will start the game: "We haven't officially got to that, but Vince is going to get some playing time."
On the changes made to the offensive line: "(G/T) Todd (Herremans) is a very versatile player and has played tackle before. He's got the ability to play tackle and we've known that for several years. However, he's done it before and has the ability but that doesn't do it. Todd understands it's going to take a lot of hard work and preparation here from the day that he knew until that first ballgame. There is just enough time to get that done."
On whether this move will last from now until the end of the year: "There's a possibility. Because of Todd's versatility and because of (G) Evan (Mathis), day one at training camp when we brought him in, he showed signs that he was an excellent player and a consistent player as well. This guy has strengths and he's an excellent athlete, tough, physical guy and really smart, and you need those things coming from somewhere else and into somebody else's camp to be able to show what he showed. He's done an outstanding job throughout camp."
On the risk of making wholesale changes to the offensive line near the start of the season: "There's a risk with everything you do, and there's a risk in staying put as well. We do that on a daily basis and there is great competition every day at all positions and that's the way we operate."
On C Jason Kelce's role with the team: "He's our starting center."
On whether the first team offensive line from Thursday will play this week: "We'll see on that. There is a possibility, and it's tempting. It's really tempting to do that, however for the long term there has to be some choices made there. (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) ultimately will make those choices."
On whether the switches on the o-line were injury-based or performance-based: "Good question. Really, understanding that Todd (Herremans) had the ability and some experience at the tackle spot, there were many tackles and virtually everybody who had the ability of playing tackle had many opportunities to get a great evaluation on those particular players. That's how it evolved there, knowing from the start that Todd had the ability there."
On whether he wasn't happy with the performance of those people: "I think they were very good players, and the key is the five best. The next key is your eight best, because typically you're going to need seven or eight to play an extensive period of time. Some of that is cyclical, and sometimes you keep all five healthy throughout the year. In many cases, you don't."
On whether Kelce is the best starting center on the team right now: "There are some things that go into making a choice, and I won't go into any of the details, but Kelce has played at a really high level. He's got very little experience but he's a terrific athlete, very sharp, and he's strong. Jamaal (Jackson) has great experience, proven that he can play and win. He's a valuable man to our organization and he's doing a heck of a job in helping Kelce."
On whether smaller lineman are offensive line coach Howard Mudd's preference: "I wouldn't say that. Howard is one of the icons as far as coaching the o-line. He's a great, great coach and can coach any type of player. There are certain skills that go along with how he teaches and athleticism that is required."
On the o-line being smaller than it has in the past: "Size depends on how you approach things as far as your philosophical approach. We've been here with a smaller, athletic offensive line before. I've been there. You can be big and brute, and have great success. You need to do it a certain way. You can be a touch smaller and quicker, more athletic, and have great success. You need to do that a certain way as well."
On WR Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith back practicing: "Yes they did. They've had two work days and they're both planned to go an extensive period of time. They're working the next two days, and again, today is an extensive period of time. Maybe a little bit of a recovery day tomorrow. I can't get into too many details. You'll have to ask (Head Athletic Trainer) Rick (Burkholder) because they have a well developed plan."
On QB Michael Vick not being as sharp as he was last season: "Everything is important, so Mike will be ready to go. He's done some things very well and he's had several plays that he'd like to have back. That's my responsibility. I've put him in a couple situations on purpose and a couple more that those plays looked ugly. I'll put him in a better situation, and he'll be ready to rock and roll. It's very difficult, I think, even from the inside to evaluate a unit or a team in the preseason. It's a difficult thing to do because you're trying to do some many different things to try and get evaluations of players. Maybe you're trying some new things out of the realm of things you've done in the past schematically. So, it's very difficult to evaluate a team but it's a great time to evaluate individuals."
On how Vick is recognizing blitzes: "Excellent. He's done an outstanding job in carrying it over to a game, and he's done an excellent job in the film room, meeting room, on the practice field, and most of the time in the games. He's still right in the middle of that last step here."
On starting two rookies next to each other on the o-line: "I know it can work, and I'm quite happy with their play. I'm very confident that it will work. It's a difficult thing to do at the center position alone. Through hard work and preparation that's required, I'm really confident again that they'll be playing at a very high level very quickly. It looked probably from afar a little bit worse for those two players than it really was. The other players around them, especially at the skilled spots, didn't take care of their business. There were a couple of plays where they were doing the exact right thing, and again it comes back to the fact that it's my responsibility to get this thing done."
