**
Offensive Coordinator Todd HaleyRe: Oakland's cornerbacks:
They have had their troubles with injuries, as we all run into this time of year. I am sure they have some young guys that have shown up on tape. They just added a guy off of the Packers' practice squad. They will be ready to go.
Re: Dennis Allen changing the way the Raiders' defense plays:
The shocking thing is that you get used to playing the Raiders and the way they play defense. With him, you definitely see a different scheme. You see a lot less man-to-man coverage but they still play it. The Raiders look different than what you are used to seeing. There is some carry over though.
Re: Heath Miller:
He's just a really good football player. His name doesn't get mentioned a bunch. I loved him when he was coming out of college. He's done nothing but show that he is a really good football player. Any time you have a guy like that on your team, you utilize him in every way you can, whether in the run game or pass game. You aren't going to hear much from him, and he's probably going to do the play right.
Re: Miller having two touchdowns already:
The touchdowns were schemes. The play that I was most impressed with was the late third down where we put him outside. He made a play, and Ben Roethlisberger made a terrific throw where it had to be. Miller made a terrific catch in a very critical situation for us.
Re: Oakland's run defense:
They've done a pretty good job against the run in the preseason and in the first game. They are pretty stout. Reggie Bush [last week's game against the Raiders] is a special player. He found some creases and turned them into huge plays. I don't know that there are many others making those huge plays. I will attribute that a little more to Reggie.
When Rashard Mendenhall is ready, do you throw him right in or do you test it?
When the green light is given, you still have to be smart with it. The guy has been out a good part of a year and will see his first live action. We have to get him ready and practice him like we've been doing. Easing him into it would be the way to go about it.
Does crowd noise ever dictate going to the no-huddle offense?
**No I don't think it will ever be a factor if we go to it. Crowd noise can always be a factor. You saw in Monday night's game it was real loud. Denver wasn't operating at quite the same level like they did at home. It's always an issue but it will never be a big enough issue that you don't do it. You are going to have to use it in the two-minute situations at the end of the half and at the end of the game, and throughout the game whenever you see fit.
**Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau
What was the difference between LaMarr Woodley from the first game to the second game?
*Well, the defense played better. I think sacks are something that come if you have continued effort. LaMarr always has continued effort. Some games it's going to be more obvious than others but day in and day out, I'll take LaMarr. He's going to get his job done. *
Re: How the defensive calls impact what Woodley is able to do:
They were sitting in a lot of third down and one or two's. You've got to be pretty straight in that situation and try to get them in a better situation on the next third down.
Re: Big nickel package:
We've always got an eye for down the road and make sure we've got enough packages in place. When we get thin at any one position, as we are right now at the outside linebacker position, we need to make sure we've got enough defenses that if we lose a guy or two on a Sunday, that we've got something to go to. They did a good job and they're getting a few snaps in practice. It's just about making sure that we've got enough people at enough spots to get through a 16-game season.
Have you used three cornerbacks and a safety in a defensive package before or is that new this year?
No, we've done that. I can't remember how far back It was but it's our penny defense. We put a nickel corner in for a safety and then we can play a little more man coverage when they put extra wide receivers in there instead of playing our base. There's nothing new about that.
What makes S Ryan Clark so good at his job?
I think it's work ethic and overall intelligence and conditioning. He's very much the consummate pro. He approaches his job as he's going to work and brings his lunch bucket with him. He's going to give you a good, honest day and almost always plays well.
Would Ryan Clark be talked about more if he wasn't in the same defensive backfield as Troy Polamalu?
He went to the Pro Bowl last year and I think it was well-deserved. I think Ryan is finally getting the acknowledgement that he deserves.
Does Clark have more freedom when Polamalu does not play?
**Together they've been a great safety tandem for us. Ryan has a little more freedom when Troy is not in there, yes.
Re: More snaps for NT Steve McLendon:He's getting more snaps than just if somebody needs a blow. He's earned a chance to get in the rotation and take some good quality snaps. We're going to need all of our men as we go through this season and he's one that I'm very confident in. He's going to take his fair share of snaps. Re: The importance of having a deep rotation of defensive linemen:We're fortunate in that respect. Some of the guys like Steve, Cam [Heyward] and Ziggy [Hood] are still young players so we think they're going to grow quite a bit. Al Woods is coming along and is going to be a real strong inside presence. I feel good about our defensive line. We're not where I want us to be but we're playing hard and I feel good about those people.Do you anticipate any wildcat formations or different formations from the Raiders offense?No, it's interesting because they have the original wildcat out there in [Darren McFadden] and they haven't really used him in that capacity yet. They've got another fellow from Ohio State, [Terrelle Pryor] who would be a perfect wildcat guy. We have taken some practice snaps and we got ready for it last week, obviously, so it falls in a good spot in the schedule for us. We got ready for it last week and we just had to do the same thing on the practice field. It would not surprise me at all if we didn't get some of that.Re: Steve Sabol passing away:I knew his father and him very well. They were both wonderfully creative people who were significant contributors to the popularity of our game. He's going to be missed. He was a great man like his dad. It's a great family really. Re: Differences in Raiders QB Carson Palmer from when he played for Cincinnati:I don't see too much difference in him at all. He's a veteran, experienced quarterback. You're not going to fool him. He certainly has knowledge of us from playing us twice a year all those years in Cincinnati. You can see his influence in the passing game. They put in quite a few things that he likes to throw. We'll have to play well. He's an excellent quarterback. Re: Choosing who to play between LBs Chris Carter and Jason Worilds:I look at them as a singular person. We're going to need them both. They're both working hard. I think they're both the same man really. That's good for us.Re: Adjustments on defense to counteract the Raiders' speed:Without a doubt, they have great speed. The Raiders have been known for their speed for several years and this group is no different. We talked about it and showed it on the video. We try to get our fastest players to run against the defense. The good thing about the National Football League is that you're playing against speed every Sunday. These guys are a little bit faster, though. I think these guys could put a pretty good relay team in the Olympics. They can call run.
