VS.

POSTGAME QUOTES
AUGUST 18, 2007

Saints-Bengals Gameday

Opening statement:
"Obviously I’m not happy with what happened tonight. I think the tone was set on that first series. We needed to win that series. We came back and did some good things and guys made some good plays. To me, that set the tone right there for what I was going to say in here after the game.”

How concerned are you that your first team offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in two games?
“I think we went through that a couple of years ago and all was good. We’ll go back to scoring. We don’t do any game-planning for these games. We are not going to change that. We will keep working on the things we need to.”

How concerned are you about the third wide receiver position?
“Not concerned at all. Tab Perry did a good job tonight.”

What areas did he do a good job?
“Being in the right spots and doing what you need to do offensively.”

Was there something that you particularly spotted on that first series that worried you?
“The second-down snap. I was particularly disappointed on that screen play. They were able to get the first down and hit some slants. It was a poor missed assignment on that touchdown run.”

Thoughts on Doug Johnson:
"I think he handled some things well. We got some balls tipped so we’ll have to go back and see why.”

Thoughts on red zone trips:
"I would like to score anytime we get into the red zone. We want to score touchdowns and not field goals. We’ve been a little limited in our personnel, and we wanted to stick to the plan.”

Thoughts on defense:
"I’ll go back to that first series where we couldn’t get off the field. We had an opportunity to set a tempo, both offensively and defensively. You don’t know if you’re going to get those opportunities back. Then they had us off-balance with the reverses, the waggle and the quick slants off the pressure. Those are things we have to look at and do better.”

Are you going to do anything to freshen up the players’ legs?
"We’re gaining guys back so we’ll have a different look out there on Monday or Tuesday when we let you guys back in here.”

Will Johnathan Joseph and Marvin White be back at practice this week?
"Yes.”

Thoughts on injuries tonight:
"Eric Henderson had an X-ray. Quincy Wilson left for a little bit. Herana-Daze Jones and Landon Johnson had some bruises, but they should be ready to go by the season opener.”

What are your thoughts on the team’s execution and where this team is right now?
"We have to go back and correct the errors and mistakes. It’s time for our guys to stand up and take responsibility. We have some good football players here. We need those guys to step up and do more. Obviously we are pulling them out of there and not letting them do more, but they can still do more in other ways, whether it be in the huddle, in the meeting room or on the practice field."

Obviously tonight’s game wasn’t what you wanted:
"It wasn’t what we expected, or what we wanted to do. We’ll have a chance like always after preseason games to look at the film and see what we need to improve on, see what we did right. Just keep getting ready for that opener.”

With the high number of injured players, the Bengals looked tired out there compared to the Saints:
"Yeah, that’s preseason though. We just got out of training camp — we’re still in training camp basically, even though we’re not in Georgetown anymore. We’re beat up. We’re tired, they’re tired. They’ve had a tough training camp. They just had more fresh guys because they didn’t have as many guys injured. But you don’t prepare like this is a game and practice like this is a game and get fresh and get back like this is a game. You go about your business, you go about your training camp schedule and you happen to have a game on Saturday. It’s not about being fresh and being 100-percent and having your legs completely back for preseason games. You’re preparing for that opener. You’re preparing for the Monday night game against Baltimore coming up.”

You threw five passes to Tab Perry and none of them were completed. Do you guys need to work on your timing?
"Tab and I haven’t really had much of a chance to work with each other. He’s been kind of banged up in camp and missed some practices. There have been different guys in at different positions. But he’s done a great job. He’s learned, I think, three positions now on offense. I had him on a deep post and missed him. He did a great job. There’s nothing wrong with what he did. I overthrew him on that route, but I’m excited to have Tab back and have him healthy and to get some work in. We have these next three more weeks to get ready for Baltimore. He’s an electrifying player. He’s basically a tail-back once he gets the ball in his hands. So I need to keep working with him and try to get the ball in his hands.”

Do you expect Tab Perry to emerge as the No. 3 receiver?
"I don’t know. I would be extremely happy if it was him. I’d be extremely happy if it was Antonio (Chatman). I’d be extremely happy if it was Glenn Holt. All of those guys are good players and can be great players. They need reps and work. It’s just tough getting those guys reps and work because they’ve been banged up.”

Chad Johnson said the offense has been very vanilla-basic. Will we eventually see the real Bengals?
"Yeah, we were very successful with them when we practiced with them (New Orleans Saints) twice a day. We were doing a bunch of different stuff. You don’t want to show too much in these preseason games. We got good work during the week practicing against them and were successful. You don’t want to put too much out there film-wise and we were vanilla. But in saying that, you still want to score. You still need to score. And when you are vanilla, you need to do everything perfect. And we weren’t perfect inside the red-zone."

The starting offensive unit has not scored a touchdown in two games now. Are you worried?
"We had field goals. Shayne (Graham) is a big part of this offense, so we’re working him in right now. The things we’re doing on offense is very vanilla right now, so there’s really nothing to worry about.”

Is there anything to the thought that guys are tired as a result of all the injuries to the team, forcing guys to take a lot of extra reps?
"I don’t think so. All teams have injuries throughout the year. We’ll have time to recover. Hopefully we’ll have extra days off to get guys healthy."

How are things going out there as the guy calling the plays for the defense?
"Everything is going all right. I just need to correct a few mistakes, and It’ll be all right.”

You’ve faced two teams now with a lot of formations and personnel on offense. The Lions and the Saints both put a lot of pressure you mentally, don’t they?
"Tonight the Saints were spreading the defense and throwing quick passes, which kept us off guard.”

How much more comfortable are you this year than you were as a rookie last year?
"I feel more comfortable with what I have to do. I am still learning on the go this year, but I have a better feeling about what I have to do and what my teammates have to do on a particular play. I feel very comfortable playing at middle linebacker. I just need to keep playing hard and I’ll have the experience down the line."

Is it frustrating that of the nine passes thrown to you, you only caught one of them?
"No, I just have to keep working on it. It’s only the preseason. We have a couple more games to go, and we’re going to come back and keep working.”

Was there any miscommunication on the incompletion in the end zone, or was the ball just overthrown?
"No, I’m still pretty new at this. T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) and Chad both have really good timing with Carson (Palmer). They’re all on the same page, so I’ve just got to get there."

Opening statement:
"A couple of things right now; I just finished talking with the team. The encouraging thing was we saw some improvement in some areas. I thought the kicking game did a pretty good job with regard to the coverage units. We still have to eliminate some of those penalties — we had a punt return for a touchdown called back — but I thought we improved in that area. I thought we played with good effort. I was pleased with how the defense handled some of the no-huddle. That was a little bit unsettling, but good work for us though. I was pleased with our tempo offensively. But somewhere in the second quarter, we went south, and that was frustrating. We had a series of either penalties or mental errors that we have to clean up. The concerning thing for me was some of the mental mistakes. It’s tough when you’re trying to execute offensively and there’s a breakdown, a penalty or a missed assignment. It’s tough to play quarterback when that has happened. I thought Jamie (Martin) settled in after he came back in the second half.”

On holding the Bengals to four field goals:
"I was encouraged by it. I thought we handled the quick change. I thought the defense played with a lot of effort. We’re seeing a good offense. We’re seeing some talented players and I thought we battled pretty well. That was encouraging.”

On some of the mental mistakes:
"The measure when evaluating a player is: Does he know what to do? And if he doesn’t know what to do, I’m not going to play him. It’s not just one player. I’m talking to a group of guys.”

On WR Lance Moore:
"He did some good things. I think he’s competitive; he’s a guy that plays physical. He’s a willing blocker, which I like, and he’s smart. He usually does what he’s supposed to do. He’s doing a good job.”

On Drew Brees:
"He’s been practicing well. He’s worked hard at all the little things in his game. Obviously, he’s playing with confidence and that’s encouraging. I’m excited with where he’s at now compared to last year when he was coming off an injury. He’s playing well.”

On Olindo Mare kicking touchbacks:
"You put a team on the 20 and it’s a big plus. We actually had him back off a little bit so we could cover a kick. So he started hitting three woods instead of drivers. I asked him if he could make it land on the minus one and he did."

Is Drew Breese ready to open the season?
"Yes. I’m getting excited. Obviously, this preseason serves a purpose. The last few times out, we’ve looked pretty sharp. We established the tempo early, and we got that touchdown we’ve been looking for. Obviously, one of these preseason games, we are going to get a substantial amount of playing time. I think that will give us the opportunity to get into a rhythm, and hopefully we’ll be able to put some points on the board and open it up a little bit.”

Reggie Bush is obviously a great player, but do you think he’s better this year, than he was a year ago?
"Absolutely. I think he’s more of a true running back. He works extremely hard. He is such a prideful guy. He brings it to practice everyday, and on game day he takes it to another level. I know that he is a better player, and I know he is only going to get better. There are times that you just want to get it into his hands, sit back and watch"

Is running between the tackles the next thing that you have to prove?
"Yes. I always run with a chip on my shoulder. I always feel like I have something to prove. I think that has been a big part of my success.”

Do you think this offense is ready to open the season, based on the way you guys moved up and down the field on the first couple of drives?
"I think we still have a little more to do. We still have some things that we have to clean up. We did a lot of good things this game, but I still feel like there are some things that we can learn from and improve on.”

It is obviously just a preseason game, but how does it feel to win?
"I obviously feel good. Anytime you win a game, whether it’s preseason or not, it still feels good. We’ll take this one to the bank, learn from it, and hopefully we will win the next."

How are you feeling after this win?
"It’s good to go home after a win. Not to say that we were pressing to get a win, but, but I think that the hard work we are putting in is starting to pay off.”

On the first drive you guys looked as crisp as if it were the regular season:
"We came out pretty strong. If we can eliminate the mistakes, like penalties and turnovers, then we are a dangerous team. It is up to us to do that. Drew (Brees) was on the money, and guys stepped up and made plays."