(opening statement) * *
"We'll go out and practice this afternoon for a short period of time and start to really hone in on them ( St. Louis), like we normally do with our schedule for the week, on Wednesday. They're a good, solid football team, although their record indicates to the contrary. They've just been one of those teams who've left a few points on the table, yet they still have players, and they are still talented and (this is) one that we better get prepared to play."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Colts measuring themselves against each other and not necessarily their opponent)
"I think one of the things is our focus is always to get better. That's the one thing that we probably stress as much as anything. Every practice session we kind of measure it up to see how we did (against) the previous week's practice. We try to make note of that as we go along. The big thing is we try and focus in on some things we need to improve upon and really concentrate on what we can control. We feel that our practice preparation, and the emphasis we place on certain areas that we need to make certain that we are good at in order to slow our opponent down is very, very key to us."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on depth at the defensive tackle position)
"We have taken a real good look at where we are in that position and feel that DT-Dan Muir, who has been playing well inside and certainly improving every single week, and DT-Fili Moala, are coming along. We've been watching his (Fili's) progress and can see in our practice sessions that he has been becoming more active. We feel that we will be able to show some improvement in those areas, and those guys will be able to fill in and do well. The other thing is we played the first game without him (recently waived DT-Ed Johnson). That's probably as clear an indication to see what it looks from a team standpoint. I think more than anything else, those two guys have to be able step up and play well. They're going to get challenged this week, because this is a team that is going to run the ball downhill at you."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on re-capturing the team's momentum coming off the bye week)
"I think that's always an issue and something we try to guard against. We had some pretty spirited work last week, which was a very competitive session against one another, offense versus defense. We think that we were able to still function and keep our timing last week. The real key is what we do this week. That's always a concern. It's always something you look for when you come back and try to emphasize, as well. We don't want to lose any of that, and if we lost anything, we better regain it before kickoff."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if DB-Bob Sanders will play Sunday)
"His activity level is increasing, and he was out there last week and looked good. It will increase some this week, and we will see where we are toward the end of the week, but he's coming along."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Rams game against Jacksonville)
"I did not see the game, it was not on in the area I was located, but certainly we've seen the highlights and looked at the game today, as well. I don't think there is any question that we regard everyone the same, and that is they are very capable. Everybody in this league has players, they have some stars and talent, and we don't think they're any exception. I was watching the Minnesota Vikings game against them and they turned the ball over two times inside the 10-yard line after some real strong drives. I think you can see that they certainly are capable of getting after you if you aren't careful."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if defensive ends are slowed down at all by the officials' increased emphasis on limiting unnecessary hits on the quarterback)
"I don't think, for the most part, it slows them down at all, in terms of the rules. They certainly want them to play and be able to play and do their job and be aggressive as they'd like to be, but within limits. I think those limits aren't unreasonable. They're there to be enforced if there is an infraction, whether it is against our quarterback or our guys rushing the passer against the opposition. I think they're pretty consistent, in terms of what they call, and I don't think it's any sort of inhibition whatsoever, in terms of pass rushers."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how the coaches prepare their players to deal with the new rules)
"Anytime that we have a situation prior to the season, if there is a rule in place that is different than it had been previously or if there is an area of emphasis, we make sure that officials come to our practices. They go over them and review them, they show them tape, we talk about those issues, and once we have those guidelines and parameters set, then we turn them loose. It's kind of up to them to adjust. They're professionals, and they'll do the best they can to do their job without an infraction."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on any updates on injured players)
"I feel good about their progress. I feel good with where we're headed, in terms of them coming back, but I'm not quite certain when that will be. DB-Kelvin (Hayden), I think, is going to end up practicing today, so we'll see where he is through the week. Gonzo (WR-Anthony Gonzalez) and DB-Marlin (Jackson), I think those guys are working at their craft, trying to get a little bit better, but I'm not quite certain when they're going to be available. Some of those things could change in the middle-of-the-week, some may go on to the middle of next week."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if quarterbacks are too protected)
"I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I don't agree with that (that quarterbacks are too protected). I think as long as players are allowed to do their job without having to change what they do consistently, where it inhibits them or prohibits them from doing it and doing it effectively, and still keeping the aggressiveness in the game, I think they ought to be able to live with it. I think our guys can. But defensive guys are aggressive guys by nature. You find me one that won't complain about that issue. I think most of them will."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on why he thinks there are so few trades around the trading deadline in the NFL)
"Cleveland made the trade with the Jets, and it's highly unusual to see a guy go in and be that effective, that quickly. So, that's what I think probably has as much to do with it than anything. It's always kind of system-oriented. It takes awhile to get a guy caught up. You can even take a look at us. We ended up signing WR-Hank (Baskett on Sept. 17), just the time it takes to get in position where they can really be of value to your team. I think a lot of that has to do with why there aren't more trades made in that situation. That would probably be my number one reason, just simply the fact trying to get them up to speed quickly enough to be a factor, in a team-oriented game like this one is a bit different. I think it's different in basketball and baseball."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the team's trade during the 2006 season for DT-Anthony McFarland)
"The thing about that one is the fact that he was system friendly. Those two things kind of aligned. He was able to come in and be effective right away. The terminology was the same. There were a lot of things that fell in line with that particular trade."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on kickoff and punt returns)
"Those are two areas that we just have to continue to try and improve upon because they are not good enough right now. They are adequate, but we just really have not changed the field position through our return game. That's something we have to keep working on. It's not always the same issue week-to-week or play-to-play. Oftentimes, it may be a blocking situation, one guy doing his job and if he does there is a fairly nice opportunity there, or it could be a return man not hitting the right gap. All of those things we have to keep harping on, keep working on and keep focusing in on. (Special Teams Coordinator) Ray (Rychleski) does a good job of that. He is pretty diligent. We just have to keep finding constructive situations to our problems."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on P-Pat McAfee kicking off and getting touchbacks)
"It makes a tremendous difference. Statistically, when you look at a team that has to drive the ball 80 yards to score, the opportunity to do that decreases. It makes a team have to drive the length of the field and be nearly perfect to get it done (to score), if you're playing good, solid defense. That's big for us."
