[CB] Rod Hood has some heel inflammation. He will do what he can do. He
went through the walkthrough this morning and we will see how he does this
afternoon.”
Opening remarks:
“We look forward to the challenge of playing the Cowboys and we understand
the importance of the game, the rivalry, Monday Night Football and all those
things. It’s a great atmosphere to play in and our guys are going to put full
concentration towards the Dallas Cowboys and eliminate the distractions. We are
heading in that direction and doing a heck of a job in the last couple of days.
You know we made a roster move at the center position, so we have 2 candidates
there in [C] Jamaal [Jackson] and [C] Trey [Darilek]. Jamaal will be the starter
and Trey will be the backup there.”
On how he characterizes the mental state of the team:
“I feel good about it. They have been strong and they are ready to move on
and concentrate on football. I think they are as tired of the questions as you
are of asking them.”
On where he thinks QB Donovan McNabb is mentally:
“I feel good about where Donovan is at. I think he feels a little bit better
physically and I think he feels strong mentally. I feel good about his state
right now.”
On what makes him believe that Jackson can step in and produce:
“We felt good about him since he’s been here. He’s been banged up a little
bit with injuries. He’s healthy now and we feel comfortable he can go in there
and play. He’s a smart kid. He’s big and strong. He would have been our second
center had he not been hurt. We feel good about him.”
Whether he will make the line calls:
“Yeah.”
Whether it has been difficult, at any point, to concentrate on football:
“I would say the last few days with all the attention put on this. That takes
a little energy out of you. That is no excuse for anything that has happened in
games or anybody else, but I think over the last couple of days, there has been
a little bit of attention towards this.”
Whether he thinks that having WR Terrell Owens not around will help out
McNabb:
“I don’t know that. Donovan is a great football player. He’s going to
continue to be a great football player. We will see how things work out.”
On how the offense changes without having Owens on the field:
“Well you continue to spread the football around and when guys have
opportunities to make plays, they make plays. We have plenty of guys to do
that.”
On whether he believes that this game is as big of a game he has coached
here:
“It’s a great atmosphere for a football game. You have the Monday Night
Football part of it, but then you have the Dallas Cowboys. They are a good
football team and so, this is what it’s all about. This is why we do it as
coaches and players.”
On whether he prefers not having a #1 receiver, so the ball can be spread
around more:
“It can be done anyway. We have had success doing it both ways and even with
Owens here, we still spread the ball around, then he got a number of catches.
But we can go either way.”
On how his mental state of mind is and whether this has weighed heavily on
him:
“(Jokingly) I weighed myself this morning and I’m the same weight I was last
week. I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as its part of my job, and as a
head football coach you are going to have things that you are going to have to
work through every year. This is no exception.”
Whether this is the hardest thing he has had to do since he’s become a
coach:
“I don’t know that. I have not gone back and evaluated the other things that
I had done. It was the immediate thing I had to do and that is the way we went.”
Whether there are any regrets he has had with bringing Owens to the
Eagles:
“I am not going to open up that gate. I don’t want to really talk about it.”
On how important team chemistry is:
“We have great leaders on this team and we have always had great chemistry
around here and I don’t expect anything different.”
On whether they are a better team today than they were last week:
“I am not going to get into that. I think we are a good football team. I
thought we were a good football team before and I think we are a good football
team today.”
On how hard it is to refocus to play a football game:
“It’s really not hard at all. You put your efforts into the Dallas Cowboys
and you don’t worry about anything else. That’s where we are at as a football
team. They are a heck of a football team. They are well coached, they have a lot
of talent, they are playing well and we look at them and respect them. You turn
on the film and that is where your attention goes.”
Whether it is a difficult to focus when everyone asks the same questions:
“No, because once I leave this room after these 10 minutes, I don’t worry
about it. I am not asked it any more. I don’t talk about it and likewise with
the players.”
On what about the Dallas defense gave the offense problems last time:
“They played great. They did a great job against us. They were aggressive
offensively and they did a heck of a job. They are a heck of a football team.”
On whether TE Chad Lewis can step in and play right away:
“We will see how it goes this week.”
Whether Chad’s availability depends on the health of the other tight ends:
“We will see how it goes. Number one, I need to see how Chad does and then we
have to see how Stephen [Spach] progresses. It does not look like Stephen is
going to be able to go tomorrow either. He has quite a bit of swelling.”
On how Dallas RB Julius Jones affects their offense:
“They have got three good running backs and he’s a heck of a player. He will
have our attention. We will be aware of him.”