Head Coach Mike TomlinSunday, August 3Coach Mike Tomlin:I loved the energy and enthusiasm. I thought we had a good practice this afternoon. Of course we brought it to a finish by a great goal line period. I like the way the guys are working. We are just a team in development and we will come out again and do it again tomorrow. On the injury front things are basically the same. Ben was limited due to a groin. Cody Boyd was limited due to a shoulder injury. Humpal remains day to day with a hamstring. Sherrod remains day to day with a stiff neck. Anthony Smith could be characterized as day to day with a groin, as is LaMarr Woodley. Any questions?
Is Chris K. any closer to getting off the PUP list?
He is. I think as of right now, we are just waiting on a piece of protective equipment and then we can march forward with him. I expect to see him here early this week coming out.
With Ben, is that something you expect to linger on?
Hopefully not, that's why we are being cautious with it. I think he is going to be fine and it is going to be a non-issue.
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Who was your line judge here?
That would be Kevin Jordan, the chaplain. You know, I figured that if you put the chaplain on the line you get less beefs and complaints. I think it worked out for us.
Do you think 28 scored?
Yes.
Was that from above maybe?
I'm not going to second guess the chaplain. The guy said he scored, so he scored.
Is Mendenhall your short yardage back?
Not at this point. He is a candidate. He better run harder than he did today on goal line.
Is Gary Russell a goal line candidate right now?
Those are the guys that we chose to work. We will do that drill again here in a couple of days and we'll probably thin it down a little bit.
Did Gary Russell see the defense today?
Yes, I think anytime the defense steps out there and stops the first three plays in a row, it will set the tone for the drill. You've got to get a wind of them. Offense did a nice job of recovering but defense was the winner.
How anxious were these guys to do that kind of drill? I know they were aching to get out there to get contact like that. They were pretty excited for it.
It's fun. You know, I think we've got to remember that this is a game and these guys love to play this game and we can let them have fun sometimes.
Were those rookie mistakes by Rashard on that first goal line?
They better be. I'm sure they were. He has to run harder and not overanalyze. He has to understand what that drill is about. It's about hitting downhill and hopefully next time out he will be better.
Have you heard anything about Troy?
I don't know at this point. We will see where he is. The situation is what it is. It could be three days, it could be a week.
What about Hampton? Any idea when he'll be back?
That process is still running its course. He and I met today and we will continue to move forward, but he is not where we want him yet.
Gary Russell for the second year in a row has pretty much done well at this goal line drill. What does he do well?
He doesn't overanalyze things. He gets his pads down and finishes downhill. That's one of his distinguishing characteristics and he has value in that regard.
Is Willie a candidate, or will he be a candidate for short yardage?
Yes. Willie Parker? Yes.
What was the tone of the meeting with Casey? Was it just an informational thing?
That is between he and I and don't ask him.
