I anticipate everyone practicing.
Tony's carelessness?
Spoke with him yesterday. Don't want to discourage his ability to create. I said you have to be aware of the fact that you can do more damage than good. When the ration gets high on the damage side, your ability to improvise becomes negated. I try to encourage him to be looking to create, but the judgment has to improve on some things or you end up having what we had Sunday.
Young QBs like to improvise with the run?
The biggest thing I see is we have to encourage him to use his body clock on plays. He's so confident that he can do things that I think sometimes it affects his judgment. When you know you're vulnerable on a certain type of play you have to be careful.
New season once the playoff starts?
Absolutely I feel like that 100%. I really do. Everybody is starting fresh.
Tough to muster up the energy?
No, not tough at all. I was disappointed Sunday, but you feel lucky you have the chance to go forward.
December, weren't good...how do you get the confidence?
Well, I'm not thinking about that right now. If you were thinking about that, you would have a lot of company that was also thinking about it. This is a situation that is unique to us, so you have a tendency to pay attention to your own and not someone else's. There are very few teams that dont' have something wrong. It's just who plays well now that counts. I've seen us play well, now. Other teams have played well. We're just hoping we can get in a position where we play well. I know the problems Seattle presents. It's not like we haven't played them. We didn't play them this regular season but have several times before.
How tempting is it to do something drastic?
Not tempting at all. We try to put a good solid gameplan together to do what we think is the best to attack them on both sides of the ball. You always do that.
Numerous players complaining about their role? Concerned?
No. I wouldn't think numerous is the right word, either.
Is that just a function of things not going well?
I don't have any concern for any of that. I really don't. No one has come to me and said anything.
Tension rising in the locker room?
No.
Do you feel like this is a playoff team?
I don't see why you wouldn't. I'm not apologizing for being in the playoffs.
Tony's decision making? Affected by defensive play?
No. Zero.
General inexperience?
No. It's over-confidence. He needs better judgment.
Changed over the past few weeks?
I'm just going back to his body clock. By putting himself at risk he can do a lot of damage. You guys were laughing at me when I said it was less than perfect. Now you're seeing what I was talking about. He was getting away with things. Now he's not.
Was Tony eating his own cheese?
No. I don't know. He's just a confident player. There's a fine line here...you don't want to take away his want to create. It's been a very positive thing. It's just the judgment you make under pressure. If you're consistently gambling, the odds even out. Some of them are going to turn bad. The quicker you can dissolve that element, and say now is a time I have to take a risk as opposed to doing it all the time, that is when you make progress. There are times in the game where you have to try to do something. Then you might have a little tendency to want to do something.
Believe he could be Superman?
No, I dont' really think so. Sometimes when everyone is feeding you the cheese it's hard not to eat it. I told him, "Did I tell you this could happen?" He say, "Yeah." But I don't want to intimate that he's the reason we're playing the way we are. Cause he's not. He's part of the reason. We can do things better.
Turnovers the most important thing?
No, when you're on the road you have to fight that. It's been noisy up there from time to time. YOu have to prepare for that. But, it's what you look forward to in this business. An opportunity to go do something. Next week at this time, there'll be several less team involved.
How much do you wonder how well you know the team?
Oh, no...I know it. There isn't any doubt in my mind. If there's probably one thing that I could not miss -- it's that. I am under no illusions and haven't been for many years for any team that I've coach. You do know. When you're thinking about it 24-7 and you've been around this athletes since the spring. If I don't know them individually and collectively, there's a problem.
Struggling with telling them they're a championship type team?
I'm not struggling at all. You guys are struggling. You've got a lot of company across the country. Media talking about "this team is limping in" or the "Bears get beat badly at home."
Exasperate you that the team isn't responding on the field?
No, it doesn't exasperate me at all.
How do you explain it?
Simple answer. We're not playing as well. I'd like to get on to Seattle. If you want to talk about history go to a museum. How many have they won in the last month? One, thank you.
We're not talking about Seattle, we're talking about the Cowboys playing going into the playoff?
And I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about getting my team prepared. That's my job.
How did their injuries at CB affect your gameplan?
I don't know exactly what they are. I've got an idea. I think they've had to use a safety to play corner. I'm sure they'll have a strategy in place to protect those guys.
Will they play more standard against mulitple receiver sets?
THey might have to. They might not have enough players to matchup. Some teams do better that way.
The psychological state of mind of your team has to be a factor?
What does that mean? We're not going to run 65 QB sneaks because we're afraid of fumbling. I can't control the mindset of my team for this long. I just have to show them the things it takes to beat Seattle.
Do you think the staff has done a good job of preparing the team? Since the win against the Giants?
I would say we've done what we though were right, but if the results are bad...
Sticking with changes you had against Detroit?
Different set of problems with Seattle. Appreciably different. What would maybe work well against Detroit might not work well with Seattle. I would say we will approach things differently. The scheming last week was for that team.
Julius in Seattle?
I would hope we can run the ball some. I don't know whether the stadium has much to do with it. I don't know what the weather will be.
Didn't play much in the 2nd half (JuJO)?
The game unfolds in certain ways. We're not planning it. In certain situations we think Marion...
Faulter down the stretch? Numbers are down?
Well we haven't run the ball as much. We've been behind here quite a bit, particularly in the last few games. That odesn't create running opportunities.
Julius missed a few holes/seams last week?
I just think that I'm going to go across the board. Now...we did score 31 points. It cost a quite a bit to do that. This is back to some of the things that allowed them to score.
Julius regressed in his vision?
I don't think so.
Is your confidence based on your team or other teams problems?
I just think we're capable of playing good football. I've seen it. If you haven't seen it you don't know it's there. But I've seen it. The other coaches have probably seen it to. YOu have to gather that up and get ready to go. I'm confident that we have that capability. I'm not 100% confident that we are going to do it.
You and HOlmgren -- taken 2 teams to Super Bowl -- similarities in philosophies?
Mikes' a WCO guy. Mainly because of my relationship with Ron Wolf, we've got to know each other pretty well over the years. I feel a kind of kinship with him. I think an awful lot of him. Even though we're from diverse backgrounds there are some similarities. I think a lot of him. He does a good job. I have a high regard.
What are the similarities? Traits?
I don't know whether I....we just think alike.
Tony have to be more than a busdriver to win?
I would like to think that we could...he's going to have to play very solid. I don't know if that's more or less.
Very fashionable to throw Zimmer under the bus. Justified?
Fashionable? (Yeah, my e-mail box if full). You're e-mail? We're going to use that as criteria? THat'd be good. What geniuses are sending these e-mail? (Season ticket holders. Fair?) No, I don't think it is.
In 3 losses you had problem with TOP and field position?
Well, when you're turning the ball over your TOP is going down. That's a given. That's a little bit of what happened Sunday. They had more opportunities than they should have.
Are MB3 or JuJo 25 carry backs?
That's a difficult question. If I say no, then you're going to say I'm minimizing their ability. If I say yes, and I do that then I'm probably going to minimize his career. There are some special backs in the league that can handle 350-400 carries in a year. Those are rare -- the exception to the rule. But how long can they be that exception? These guys have different styles and different running abilities. Now I've had several back where you can just keep giving it to them. And then I've also probably ruined a guy by doing that too -- cut his career short. If I had more players to work with and minimized his stuff he...with these players it's better to use a couple of them.
Some of the defensive players you used in new or expanded roles?
I thought Watkins played better and the safeties played better. I think Carp is coming along better. Bowen didn't play bad. Canty played better. But our field position was bad and some of them we were basically conceding points to them.
Can you solve the problems for Seattle?
Well, if we don't we're not going to beat them. We have to play them better defensively. But part of that is not giving up the ball on the 20, etc. Had we not done that Detroit wouldn't have had the poitns they had.
Some of the changes you made, step in the right direction?
Well, I just said a minute ago that Seattle has a different set of problems -- have a high-powered runner. Not like what Detroit was doing at all.
Bobby starting?
Don't know for sure, but there's a chance.
People say you're in the HOF partly because you're a master motivator, but now you're saying you can't control thier mindset?
I can't control their mindset, but give me a chance to prepare them. I've got to show them how to be successful. NOw what do you call that? Coaching? I don't know what exactly you call that, but that's my job. If it doesn't turn out well, you have to ask whether you did everything you could do?
Easier to focus on the road?
I don't know. Maybe. A lot of team [play better on the road.] I don't know what the answer is. Some teams are in that situation. I don't know about the distractions at home. Usually that doesn't make much difference.
Parrish?
I don't know how we're going to line these safeties up. Depends on a lot of things.
Elam?
The one...we had two guys unblocked to the ball on the side that the guy ran to...and he outran both of them. I don't think Elam had much to do with that.
Over the years you have reached out to other coaches...what did you see in Holmgren?
It was more of my relationship with Ron. Mike got his from Bill Walsh, so I'm not taking any credit. When we were at the combines Ron and I would always sit together. When Mike became the HC of the Packers he became part of that group. When you do that for 6-7 years you develop a relationship. He's a veteran coach and I like him a lot. Very high regard.
Has he taught you anything?
Yeah, sure. You learn from everybody. There have been several things we discussed...I've asked him plenty of questions. Football technical stuff. HOw many players you carry to game, how you practice in camp. Just things that would be of interest to a coach. Just those kinds of things.
