HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER. AUG 17, 2008
(On whether the practice-tempo was high today)
We really don't have a problem with practice tempo and things. We have to get some things corrected, so typically during the preseason the practice that immediately follows the game we correct some things that happened in the game because it's important to learn from your mistakes. But we got a couple people back, we had to rest a number of people today and we should have some more guys back on the field tomorrow.
(On the status of wide receiver Roydell Williams)
Yes, he worked through practice today, and we expect him now to be able to make practice daily. We're hoping he'll have a chance to play [in the game].
(On what Roydell Williams needs to show during the rest of the preseason)
Whether he can get back to full speed, catch balls and do the things he was doing last year before the injury. In the limited practice time he got before he twisted the ankle he was doing it, he made some catches. He knows what to do and how to do it, he just needs the opportunity.
(On whether he stands by his positive statements from Saturday regarding the game)
I've looked at [the film] again and what I typically do is look at the offensive, defense and special teams as a whole for the glaring things and then I go back and look at the individual performances. I think we're on schedule, we're moving forward and there were a number of good things in the ball game.
(On Marquice Cole's effort and important touchdown-saving stop leading to Friday's victory)
Well we expect that effort out of everybody. He has tremendous speed and he took advantage of the speed. There were great lessons to be learned in the game, when the defense went on the field the snap prior to that until the end of the game. We talked about four-minute defense, two-minute offense and how everything works together and there was a tremendous lesson to be learned and we discussed it today. To give you an example, the first play from scrimmage, the Raiders running back ran out of bounds. I didn't have to use a time out. And as a result of that, we were able to overcome some things much later in the game. Had he stayed on the field, as the game went, in all likelihood, the game would have been ended on Ingle's [Martin] sack. So there were tremendous lessons to be learned, and they do, and those are the kind of things we take from preseason games.
(On whether Vince's playing time this week will be pre-set or based on performance)
We're going to stay with the same amount of playing time. We expect to see some more success this week and improvement, and he's going to practice well this week and go on. I don't have any concerns about the quarterback position. He's improving. Kerry's [Collins] improving, and we're solid at the position. With a young guy, you expect him to improve and that's what we're seeing.
(On if Ahmad Hall's versatility makes him a valuable player)
Yeah, extremely. He is a versatile fullback. He's got tremendous blocking skills. He's got good speed and he can catch. So you can use him, as you've seen specifically last year on some of the carries and screens that we did with him. He's got a great deal of talent and we hope to expand on that this year.
(On how much the offense was affected by having Ahmard Hall out last season)
Well we had guys step in and fill in but when he's healthy and effective he's quite effective as a fullback and I think the league is starting to notice that.
(On Chris Johnson's ability to pass block and help in pass protection)
Typically when you have an undersized back that has the great speed and quickness, one way to neutralize that is to keep him in protection and people are going to do that. But they are going to see that he can block, he can block. And he's done that. We saw that on film and when we drafted him for his pass protection.
