On having safety LaRon Landry back:
"It is [good], but he still does not have the burst and full speed quite yet. We still need to be careful, but it is good to have him back. We are just trying to work him in and keep him going. He is going to play in preseason. If it is this game or next game, it just depends on how works in this week. This is a work week, reps, especially individuals, to see how well he can push off and change directions with his hamstring. It just wasn't perfect. We are just going to keep watching."
On defensive end Erasmus James practicing today:
"He is getting to take off, start to work back into drills and really feel like he is a team member. That is going to be very exciting for him. If we get him in at all this week it will be because he did very well in all the drill work. Really, I would like to see him the following week, more than anything."
On tight end Todd Yoder and defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander missing practice:
"Yoder is with his family in Indiana. He had a death in the family, so he is at a memorial for his grandmother. Lorenzo has a celebration in that his wife is having a baby."
On cornerback Shawn Springs not practicing:
"We are just taking care of his calf. He got a few plays in, it tightened up, so I just don't want to take a chance with it."
On wide receiver Devin Thomas:
"He did everything in practice. We tried to pull him out and he kept himself in. He plopped on the ground one time to make a catch and bounced right up. I thought he accelerated very well. He seemed to be working right in. As he progresses this week, we could see him this weekend. If everything goes well, we could put him in. Now, he has to get assignments, route running, understanding what is going on. Hopefully he has had a chance to study and listen so that we don't lose a step as he enters back in the groove."
On if he has had a chance to talk to the guys who are trying to make the roster:
"I have done both this morning, as a group and each day I am trying to encourage a couple guys each day one-on-one. In the group I addressed that this morning because it is getting down to the time where we are going to make some decisions. None of the young players have the opportunity to take a breath and relax. They have to actually intensify breath in and have much more awareness because time is falling short for them to perform each week. As we watch the game video this afternoon it will be a great opportunity for them to learn. We have a special teams practice today and it is a great way for those young guys who are maybe not going to be the starter on offense or defense but have a chance to be a key special teams player. This is their time."
On playing against Brett Favre of the New York Jets this Saturday:
"Hopefully, he'll think he's so special that we'll only have to face him for a series or two. All eyes will be on him, and rightly so. He's a tremendous athlete and this is his 18th season. That's some great experience there."
On Brett Favre's transition to the Jets:
"Just based on my history of quarterbacks coming in to a new place, he'll have a package of plays that he'll tell the staff that he's comfortable with. He'll have a separate script. When the next time comes in, Kellen Clemens, he'll have a much broader play selection because he has been there all training camp. One thing Brett will have to do is, all the situations that come up, he's only going to know a little bit about those situations. I'm talking about goal-line runs, goal-line pass, red zone. It could be very difficult for him. Now he's a vet, and he'll maybe have a broader package tnan maybe a rookie. But still, it's got to be limited."
On Joe Bugel:
"Joe is going to be out a couple of days and I don't know when he's going to be back. I've given him the freedom to take care of the situation that he has at home. His daughter is very sick. She has been fighting a very rare bone cancer for several years, and he has gone home to visit her and take care of the difficult situation that is happening in their family."
On using Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts together in the backfield:
"I can see using that. The reason I can see us doing that is that both of them are willing blockers. I see it every day in practice and in games, they are willing blockers. Clinton Portis had a blitzer come in [in the game against the Bills] and he just flat-out stoned him. It was great to see. So, we could do that. We could use them not only as deception, but we could work them into different kind of situations."
