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HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK**
(on the status of Colin McCarthy for Sunday's game)
He won't play this week. He's out. Just not quite ready at this point, as much as you'd like to see him ready. We're better off just not playing him.
(on if the fact that Colin McCarthy has been dinged up so often might lead to questions down the line about his production)
That's something that when the season is over you worry about as far as that going forward for depth and the type of guys you have on your roster. For now, I don't think it's something you think a whole lot about. It's just a matter of getting him out there for the last four games after this one, which we assume he will, and hopefully build on something towards the end of the year that we're healthy and we're playing good as a defense. It's hard, that's the hard part of the whole year, it's been missing key guys that are a big part of your development in different phases of the game. That's been disappointing, like we've said throughout the year, that he got hurt in the first game and really hasn't been himself all year long. Maybe in spots and in different parts of games, but for the most part hasn't had the year that we thought, obviously, he'd be capable of having. He's one of those guys that when he's doing that, it makes the other guys around him play better. We've lost out on that this year. We hope the next four games we can kind of get some of that and get some consistency going with his play.
(on who will start for Colin McCarthy)
Depending on what route they run in the base defense, you'll probably see Tim Shaw there. You'll probably see between Shaw and (Will Witherspoon) playing. Both of those guys playing and splitting that spot in different ways.
(on how much of a drop off there is between Colin McCarthy and Tim Shaw)
He's not your starter, so there's going to be a difference in play there. Unfortunately, because of the injuries this year and Zac Diles getting hurt, that's probably the injury that goes unnoticed that hurt us a lot this year. The last Houston game, you watch clips of him, he made some great hits. He's been gone for a long time, and he's the guy that we hoped would have helped us inside. Tim (Shaw) has been forced into playing a lot more than he has in the past. He's very comfortable, he's a smart kid, knows what to do. I think he'll be fine, and obviously, (Will) Witherspoon has been a guy that's been around a long time. Between the two of them and the different packages, you'll see both of those guys out there.
(on if it's a tough week to be without Colin McCarthy)
Yeah, it is. He's the guy that you want in there, has been. It doesn't mean that we can't do a good job (without him). He didn't play in the game last time against Houston. We did a good job. I think we held them to 3.1 (yards) per carry, which was a nice job by the guys up front and all 11 of them. We've done it before. If we can post those same kind of numbers with him, I think we'll feel good about that part of the game. Now we just have to stop them from making big plays off of the play action part.
(on if Tim Shaw is good at defending the tight end)
He's OK. It's something that he hasn't done a lot of. I think he'll be fine. He's a solid football player. He's obviously not an every-down linebacker. He hasn't been. This is where he has to step up, and he will. He has this year when he has had to play.
(on how Dowell Loggains was able to put some new stuff in the offense)
I think he's got some good plans. I knew that was one of his strengths. I knew that he has a good feel for the things he likes to do and he feels the players can do. I think as the game unfolds, we'll hopefully see some of that. I think things get more comfortable now, there was a lot on his plate when you take over. I think what changed a lot for the coaches is just the structure of practice and how we're doing things as far as getting ready, the walk thru. He made a lot of little changes that took a little time to get done during the week. I think going forward it's just going to get easier for him because the other coaches now understand really what he wants to do Monday through Saturday as far as responsibilities and things like that. It ran smoothly, it just took longer when you're trying to make changes. I think there was a lot of energy, I think guys are excited, coaches and players, about what we're doing. Hopefully, you'll see that on Sunday.
(on if there is enough similarity in Tom Moore's terminology that allows him to come in and work seamlessly with the Titans offense)
I think it's more philosophy. Obviously, he's been involved in a lot of different schemes. But I think it's more, Dowell (Loggains) can talk about, 'Hey, how did you prepare this Saturday? What was your thinking on a Saturday before the game as the coordinator. What did you go through? What kind of helped you the best to get ready for the game on Sunday?' Or, 'Hey, when you're backed up or something, what was your thinking?' It's more like learning because Tom (Moore) has done it all. He can say, 'Well, I thought this was the way to go, but this ended up being over time.' I think those are the things initially he can be helpful with him or with the quarterbacks because obviously, he's been around great quarterbacks. They've been through a lot of situations. I think more he's a calming force that way, or interjecting things here and there. As he gets comfortable with what we're doing, I think then he can say, here's another way to look at that or another way to teach that. I think for that and for receivers, he's coached all the positions. Already, you're seeing that. He's a guy that knows when to interject something, knows when to say something, knows when to add to the conversation. That's what I hoped he'd be able to do. It's hard, Dowell is running from room to room, talking to this guy, talking to this quarterback, trying to talk to the receivers. You need someone that's in there with the quarterbacks and giving him peace of mind that he doesn't have to be everywhere at once. I think that's been a nice help this week for him. I think they'll get more into scheme as we start playing games and we start seeing really what we are doing, and how he can maybe help us as Dowell makes his adjustments to what we've been doing versus what we're going to start doing more of the remainder of the season.
(on if Tom Moore will be on the sideline)
He'll be upstairs because Dowell (Loggains) will be down. He'll be upstairs, and Dowell will be downstairs.
(on what Tom Moore's role will be on game days)
Just like it's been here, if there is anything that comes up that he wants to add to the conversation that he's seen that could be helpful. During the game, it's another set of eyes. It's like that most games, there's not necessarily a lot of adjustments that go on during the game. I think if you're seeing things or getting an idea, I think he's another guy that can say, 'You know what? They're playing this way. Maybe you want to think about this route or think about that.' I think Tom (Moore) is getting comfortable with what we are doing and how we're attacking different coverages that the Texans play. Just that way, if it's one or two little tidbits or just another thing to think about, it's very helpful for all of us coaches, for me too, to have someone else that's been there, done that. It's always nice to have someone right there that can kind of give you immediate impact if there are any issues that come up during the game.
(on if Tom Moore will likely be here for the rest of the season)
You hope it works out that way. I think it's something that could be helpful that way. Again, like I said, we hadn't really gotten too much into it, other than the fact that he's here. We hope it works out that way, and I assume it will.
(on how he invited Tom Moore here)
I think it's been both of us. I knew he would, the guy loves football. I know he loves bring around it. I know he's already, like I said, had some good thoughts and good ideas. Originally, we weren't sure. Like I said, it wasn't something that was well planned out for weeks in advance. It was something that I thought for us as a staff would be necessary and be helpful if the right guy would be able to do that with him. There are not many guys I'd bring in our building this time of year. I could probably count on my hand. You don't want to disrupt stuff, you don't want to bring people in just to bring them in. Like I said earlier in the week, you're not just going to do things to do them. I brought him in because I know of him, I've talked with him quite a bit in the past, and I just felt he'd be a very good person to do that with. Yeah, bring him down here, because if there was some reason he felt uncomfortable with how this was going to go, or didn't feel like he can have a role, then I don't think he'd want to be here. I think he sees that he can be helpful, so I think he's excited about that. I'm sure we'll go forward like we have been this week, and see where it goes from there.
(on what Tom Moore was doing immediately prior to 'coming aboard')
I don't know. Again, he's been talking. He talks to a lot of people. I know people call him often for advice and situations that come up on their staff. I know he did some work with Alabama in the college area recently, as far as, I mean, we didn't get into all the things that he's been doing or not doing since I called him. I was more worried about just what he's going to do now, from now until, to what we need, to see if he'd be a good fit for this short period of time and see where it goes.
(on if Tom Moore worked with Alabama this season)
I think so. Again, I don't know what capacity, consulting, visiting, coming by, that kind of thing. You'd have to ask him or check into it. I didn't get into too much of that, but I think he spent some time with them during their off-week or something.
(on if there are parts of Nick Saban's offense that he'd like to install)
No, no. I think he's more, I mean, teams do this a lot. I mean colleges, I know good coaches, head coaches bring in and study NFL teams and vice-versa because guys want to get better at what they do. You can't be afraid to bring in other people to get opinions on different ways to do things, and I think guys like Tom Moore visit a lot of people, especially during the offseason, with ideas and things to do, and I think that's something that as an O-line coach I did. You go talk to other line coaches. You study them, you see what they did and get a feel for how you can make things better at your building. I think that's something that Tom brings to the table. He brings different ways to do things or maybe taking an offense and the players we have and saying, 'Hey, here's everything you're doing, are you trying this?' So I think he's a guy that allows you think more big picture, not necessarily this year but for the future, so I think that's a good thing. I thought that was part of the equation and thinking, 'Let's bring him in and let's kind of see what we can do with it.'
(on if he knows if Tom Moore was a consultant with any other NFL teams this year)
No, I don't. Again, I haven't even asked him. I wasn't interviewing him or asking him where he's been. It was more of I know what he's done, I know his resume. I've watched it from the other side of the field quite often, and it was more about who would be a good fit to come in here this time of year or on a one-day notice and who can come in and be helpful without being disruptive and he was probably the only guy that came to mind.
(on the development of Colin McCarthy's concussion)
I think (after the Jacksonville game) he showed some symptoms of a concussion, some concussion-like symptoms, I guess you would say. So it was a matter of seeing how he was afterward, the next day, again so-so, so we followed the protocol from there of how he was doing and had him work out, see how he responded, and (it's) just not where we're satisfied that he should be playing in a game on Sunday. You wanted him to get better or clear up a lot quicker. It's not like he's in a bad way by any means but I just think he's not clear enough at this point that we think he should play in a football game, so he's not playing.
(on if Colin McCarthy didn't pass the 'last round' of tests to return)
I don't know if he actually had any because we weren't happy with (the progress), I don't know that he saw anybody. I think it was more with us, he's not as clear as you'd like him to be, so pretty much you're better off talking to someone medically, but you want someone obviously that has no signs at all and then you send him to a doctor to get the approval that he's OK to move on. I think he's just not as clear as he needs to be, and so we'll re-evaluate, and I'm sure he'll be fine for next week.
(on if Colin McCarthy was evaluated after working out on a bike and treadmill) Yeah, and he's just not progressing the way that you'd want, I guess. He needs to be further ahead than he is right now.
