"Our most serious injury yesterday was Frostee Rucker with the hamstring injury. We should know later today just how serious the injury is. Steaming from a week ago, Johnathan Joseph is foot has flared up and we will know evaluate where he is. Ben Utecht had a hip pointer, he will just be sore. Robert Geathers and David Jones will also be sore and we’ll see how they go as the week progresses. That’s where we are injury wise. Some of the guys who missed last week are better and we should know more on each of them on Wednesday."
Odom?
"Well he is hurt where he has missed the last two weeks for us now. He seems to be coming around so we’ll see. We might be able to tell you a little more on Wednesday."
Palmer?
"Well his status is changing, it’s been good. Like I said before it’s been pretty positive, and maybe I can give you a little more information on that Wednesday."
Marvin, are you on the hot seat?
"I'm not saying I'm on the hot seat."
"
"I have a responsibility here. It is my responsibility here. We got far offensively, we
dropped two passs, we missed assignments in the running game, we missed tackles defensively ... these things happen every game, but when you lose a game to the football game, lose a division game, lost a game to the Steelers like that, they hurt more. We had some chances in the football game -- their guy errantly touches the punt, so we get the ball right therebefore halftime, and we have an opportunity to get some points on the board. We can't advance the ball very far to even get a whack at a field goal. So there are some things. And those things matter. We have our crack toss play that we're moving forward. Now we overcome that and get the first down, but they hurt. We have a careless penalty in the kicking game. ... One of our things coming into the year was to be the least-penalized team in the league.
We're pretty good at that, but we have careless things still occuring that we have a chance to eliminate. When you're playing on a small margin of error, those things are important. We did a better job protecting our passer, but we still didn't get the ball down field. Conversely, their touchdowns were plays that were very easily defensed. To see us make error in the game, it's saddening, but it's reflective of me. It comes back to me. It's my job to get it right."
Anything bigger picture that needs to be done (with the implied question, you need a GM?)
"Bigger-picture wise, I think everybody had a false sense of how good some players and some positions were here. I think that is evident. We have to better job of looking harder, and pushing harder, and getting people in the right spots all the time, and deeper, so when we have injuries, we can overcome that."
Did Chad let the team down?
"I think, yeah, any time a player has a thing that occurs like that you let your teammates down."
Was Chad here today?
"He has a sore knee, a sore foot, you go through things. He is dealing with a sore knee right now that cropped up on him later in the week. He worked on Tuesday, and he was sore on Wednesday. So next week we want to make sure he is 100 percent ready to go."
Is there more discipline that will be taken as a result of Wednesday's incident?
"I don't foresee any more at all. I think the incident is behind us. He understands why it happened and how it had to be rectified. He accepted his punishment, as you know."
Does Chad need to appoligize to his teammates?
"Again, how he deals with his teammates he’s going to have to handle that. It’s hard for us to sit here and try to figure out whether it’s necessary or not. I think everybody understood what I did and why and so they understand that part of it. Our conversions per Chad and I don’t need to be for public record"
Was a message sent?
"I think any time that you have to sit a player down it sends a message to players because that’s the only thing they get and understand. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that. Unfortunately money sometimes isn’t as important to players as people would think it is but playing time is very important. That’s their livelihood, that’s how they extend themselves, that’s what they do and that’s important to them. So when you take away playing time that’s the loudest voice they hear."
To clarify, he'll be fined, but because he was inactive, not suspended, he'll still get a game check, right?
"Well, he will be fined, yes, but you cannot fine him 1/17 of his salary or 1/16, whatever it is or however they are paid. It’s not a suspension… He will be fined for disciplinary action that usually comes for all players."
So, back to changing how players are evaluated (the question implied, again, you know, by like a scouting department or GM...)
"I didn’t say that. I said sometimes people make it through on what they did in the past and you have to be careful to do that. We tried to change some of that, and we made some change, but you’ve got to be careful and we’ve got to make sure of that. It is difficult because you can end up with some injuries at different positions as you leave training camp so maybe you’re not able to address an area that’s weaker than you’d like it to be because you’re too busy addressing an area that’s injured right now and you’re trying to tape that one together and you have to go without somewhere else because you’re not able to move the right people in and out at the right spots, and I think that’s important. I think as we go into the offseason, too, I think we’ve already addressed a lot of that because we’ll go into the offseason with a much younger football team because of all of the rookie football players and so forth and the guys we have right now that are playing rather than some of the 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-year veterans we had a year ago at this point."
Collins and Livings?
"I thought they handled the situation, the bright lights, well. Obviously there's a way to go, but it wasn't like they wet their pants or anything. They stayed in there and fought and played very tough. That was good. But, again, we didn't win the football game, we didn't run the football very effectively, and we didn't get enough first downs offensively, so there's not a lot to be real happy about."
So young guys getting a chance the rest of the season?
"Well, hopefully, I'm going to try to see as much as I can see. I really am. We're going to try to get as many of the young guys involved as we can, to get their feet wet, so their second year is not like they came off a redshirt, that they had a chance to get their feet wet and understand what it takes, the physicality of the AFC North Division and what it takes to play in it and win football games in it, most importantly. Certainly, we thought we were the most physical team for a long time, but we lost that, because we lost to the Steelers twice this year and we've lost four of them. We'll get it back, though. I can promise Cris that. And we'll be fine."
So... about next year....
"Well, I wish it wasn't quite framed that way. But sometimes, as you know, some things gets taken a little bit out of context from where the question was going, and it looks better framed the other way. The big thing is, for everybody -- Cincinnati Bengals fans and the organization -- it's important that all of us put together a better football team. We're going to continue to work at it these last five games, try to win these last five football games and end the season with a better taste in our mouths than we have right now after losing the game last night. So that makes a big difference. That's what's important to me: if we win these last five games, starting with Baltimore coming here next Sunday in front of our fans, who were very loud and disruptive a week ago against the Eagles. We've had the same kind of atmosphere when we've played the Ravens here. Four of these five teams that we're playing have an opportunity to get to the playoffs. We have a chance to say who goes, and we're going to do everything in our power -- everything in my power -- to win these games and help determine that."
