Skip to main content
Advertising

Transcript: Mike Smith post-practice interview

4c80470bb6973d192b140000.jpg


On what the key focus will be going into the last preseason game:

"The biggest key for us is that we want to go down to Jacksonville and continue to evaluate guys that I think are on the bubble. The second thing is that we want to make sure that we get through that game as healthy as possible."

On how he assesses the way everyone did in the Miami game after looking at film:

"It's always interesting when you watch the tape. It's usually never as bad as you think, nor is it as good as you think. We had a lot of corrections that we needed to make. I thought that the attitude and the effort were outstanding in the ballgame. But we still got away with some things in terms of leaving plays out there on the offensive side of the ball and I think we miss fit some things on the defensive side of the ball. Even though we played more efficiently than we did the week before, there's still a lot of things that we can correct."

On if getting live action keeps DT Peria Jerry's spirits up:

"It was good for Peria and it was really good for us. This was the first time that he's really played football in 14 months and I thought that he did some really good things. He was rusty. You could see the rust on him on some of the plays. But I thought he did things that we know he's capable of doing in regards to rushing the passer. I thought that he had some good pass rushes in that ballgame."

On if he feels that the decisions regarding the roster are mostly made already:

"I think that there's still a number of decisions that we have to make. I don't think that the number is as big as it's been in years past. I think that there are a few positions that we have not made decisions on and I think it's going to really depend on how a couple of these guys play in this ballgame. It's going to be a big game for them. I think that's one of the big keys for us this week is to continue the evaluation process so that we can put our best 53 men on the field in Pittsburgh."

On if he thinks he will hold out CB Dunta Robinson in the last preseason game:

"As I said last week, all these guys that have bumps and bruises are going to be game time decisions. We're going to work like they'll all play and then we'll make that decision when we get to the stadium before game. We just want to make sure that we get all of our guys healthy. We've got a couple of guys that have some bumps and bruises from this past week's game that will be game time decisions as well."

On whether the kicking game and K Matt Bryant are a concern:

"It's one of many concerns. You've got a lot of concerns in the preseason. You're working on a lot of things offensively and defensively. Of course, you want to make sure that you're efficient kicking the football. We can't miss extra points, that's for sure. Fifty-yard field goals, that's a little more acceptable. When you miss extra points, those things usually come back to haunt you. It's one of many concerns that we have as we try to finish up these last two weeks of the preseason before our opener."

On if it is positive that there aren't many roster spots open for guys to make the team:

"I think it's a much different scenario than year one and year two in terms of the difficulty of the decision making that our personnel staff has to make and we have to make as a coaching staff. I think that there are going to be some really good players that will not have an opportunity to make our roster, and that's a good problem to have. We feel for all the guys, the cuts are coming and we're all aware of that but it's just part of the business."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Advertising