Injury Report: "(S Macho) Harris will miss practice today. He has an eye infection. He can't be out in the light, should be a quick recovery off of this. (CB) Sheldon Brown will not practice with a hamstring strain. He's actually doing better, moving around pretty well. (WR) Kevin Curtis will not be out at practice. We have him listed as out for this game. (S) Quintin Demps will not practice with the ankle sprain. (LB) Akeem Jordan will not practice with a knee hyperextension although he is making progress there. (RB) Brian Westbrook is actually in the middle of testing in Pittsburgh as we speak so we'll know more on him as the next day or two go on. I have him listed as out obviously this week. Everybody else will practice."
Opening Remarks: "I look forward to the challenge of playing the Chicago Bears. We know they're a good football team and we understand their backs are to the wall just like everybody else's in the National Football League each week. We're going to prepare ourselves to make sure that we're playing the best football that we possibly can play. We have plenty of things to work on and we're going to go through the process this week like we do other weeks, making sure we become experts on what the Bears are doing and also make sure we're experts on our own assignments and the things that we do."
On why he is comfortable with having three young running backs playing in Westbrook's absence: "I add (FB Leonard) Weaver into the mix there too. He has versatility to where he can also be a ball carrier and he's good in the pass game and so on. His versatility allows me not to make a move at this particular time. Plus I don't really know the outcome of what they're going to say on Brian, so I just have to see as time goes on here. And then, (RB LeSean) McCoy has done a nice job. When he has had an opportunity to practice prior to the games and take the majority of the reps he ends up playing good football and he'll have an opportunity to do that this week."
On why McCoy did not have much of a role in the Chargers game until Westbrook went down: "We were going to rotate him. The thing you saw, first of all our series' were a little short initially and we have to take care of that. Two, we did some things where we had no backs in the game. One of the schemes that we had set up with one tight end and four receivers, we ran that a couple of times, so that took him out of the game. The other thing was, when Brian was in there we were trying to get him started early and give him an opportunity to get back in the swing of things."
On T Jason Peters being able to play against the Bears: "He'll practice today. Is he 100 percent right now? No. But he's going to go out and practice and try to do some things."
On QB Donovan McNabb's comments regarding the lack of veteran leaders on the team with Westbrook out: "I still don't know exactly what Donovan said, so I'm not going to paraphrase it or say that I know exactly what he said. I will say this though, I meet with the players' committee every Wednesday morning and I look around that room and there are some pretty good leaders in that room. I think we're okay in that area. I think Donovan probably eluded more to the young players that it's time to step up; it's that time of the year. He was kind of giving them a little pat on the back there, this is the time of year where your season last year was ending and now it's time to kick it into high gear and keep playing hard."
On whether he thinks McCoy will need to grow up faster with Westbrook out: "I think he's maturation rate has been excelled due to what Brian has gone through and that started back up at camp. I think he's handled it well. I think he feels good physically right now. He's not banged up or nicked up. I think he's okay there. I had a chance to meet with him on Monday and sit down and talk to him a little bit. I think he's in a good place that way. He's excited about the opportunity this week to jump in there and be the guy."
On using Weaver more as a running back than a fullback: "He was nicked up a little bit this past week. The second half he was out there more than he was in the first half. He was nicked up just a little bit and we kind of reduced the two-back role there, but he's feeling pretty good right now and he can do either/ or. I'm not saying that we're going to reduce his fullback snaps or anything else, he can do either/or. And really, (RB Eldra Buckley), we feel good with him going in and playing. He's a good, hard runner and aggressive runner. He'll take a few reps in practice also."
On changes in the offensive line altering his game plan: "On one side I'd say no. On the other side, we always try to work off of the players' strengths and what they do best. If there's a new person in there and we have an opportunity, a game plan, then take into consideration what their strengths are; doesn't matter if you're an offensive lineman, running back, wide receiver, tight end, or quarterback. That's how we go about it. I want continuity amongst the offensive line. I'm fortunate enough to have guys who have played here and have experience in this league, but on the other hand I'd like them to play together a little bit more than what's gone on. I don't expect that to be an excuse by any measure. You get in, you better know your assignment, you better play physical football and you better take care of business. Those are opportunities for you."
On the team's troubles in the red zone being schematically based: "My point to you is everybody has a piece of the pie in those situations. I've been asked a couple of times in these meetings if I ever go back and question what I either called or asked for and there are times that you do that, even off of games that you're very successful. You're always analyzing yourself. I would say we analyze that part of it. Are there things that we could have done better? Absolutely, from a coaches' standpoint and a players' standpoint. We all have a responsibility to do a better job when we're not successful down there."
On whether he has spoken with Westbrook and how he seemed emotionally: "I talked to him on Monday and he was in a good place. I think he's grateful to have the care that he's had. I mean guys looking over him as much as (head trainer) Rick (Burkholder) and our doctors have been doing, making sure that we're doing everything that we possibly can to take care of him. I think he's grateful of that and he seemed to just want to find out what went on with this next one, but he didn't seemed rattled. He's pretty cool about things anyways and seemed to be in a good place. The doctor he's meeting with, he has some experience with this, and was an old time running back and all those things, so he can relate to him a little bit."
On how Westbrook felt physically: "He actually felt pretty good, not like the last time. He actually felt pretty good on Monday."
On the specific play Westbrook had his concussion: "It was a screen play and (WR) Jason Avant hit him on one side and (Chargers S Eric) Weddle hit him on the other side. When he stood up I was standing right there looking at him. I asked him if he was okay and he kind of gave me the (head nod), but it didn't look like a (head nod) good one so I said come here and I got him over to Rick and then that was it."
On reducing the number of penalties the team is committing: "It's ridiculous. That's something that you can control. I've told you before, there's one side of it where you've coached teams where you have to really motivate them to play hard, but this group here, there are times when you just have to back them off and tell them there's a time and a place for everything and pull back on this situation here. They're offsides, guys trying to get to the quarterback, bussing the line of scrimmage, or coming off of the football, special teams trying to knock somebody's head off and you can't do that kind of stuff and you have to be smarter there. I shouldn't say knock your head off, it's a sensitive issue, try to block the guy aggressively."
On how monitoring concussions has evolved over the years: "There's a protocol that's taken place. I wrote it down before I came here because I knew you were going to ask that question. The international conference of concussion in sport, they set up a protocol. It was last updated in November of 2008. We abide by their rules that govern how you're supposed to take care of the players in the National Football League. That's how we go about business. Rick follows those to a tee and we try to be as cautious as we possibly can with that."
On what the team doctors have told him about the next step with Westbrook after he meets with doctors in Pittsburgh: "He is at the next step right now. I can't tell you anything right now. He's in the meetings and then we're going to listen to what the people tell us like we've done before."
On whether he could stay in Pittsburgh for an extended period of time: "He's in the process right as we speak. When I get information on it I'm going to let you know where it stands. I know this is a sensitive issue here, but right now I can't tell you anything because I don't know."
On whether doctors think Westbrook would have gotten the second concussion regardless of the first one: "I don't know how to analyze that because you've seen guys take some pretty big hits and come out okay. I will say that it was a unique hit where you ricochet off of a person. That is not where he wanted to put his body, in the position he ended up. He wanted to go where Jason was and he was forced into that other area. I can't sit here and determine whether it would've happened. It was a good enough hit to where something could happen there. You don't get into too many of those situations there where he was pinned."
On deciding whether someone should play after a concussion: "I think you have to listen to the experts on it, the people that deal with this and this is a group that deals with it. (Joking) I know doctors always agree on everything. There are no other opinions; I understand that."
On the play of the Bears this season: "You get to see a team very similar to what we've done, they've had some ups they've had some downs. They're trying to kind of work through and find out who they are. (It's a) similar situation to ours. At times they look tremendous and other times they look okay. I know they have a great coach and coaching staff, I know some of the guys on the coaching staff, and I know they have great players. They're working through it like a lot of teams are right now. They're just working through it and putting some new pieces in place and getting guys that are banged up back and so on."
On who will be at right guard if Peters is back in at left tackle: "It'd be (G/C) Nick (Cole)."
On who will fill in at linebacker in Jordan's absence: "I'll tell you the same thing that I said last week. We have a couple of different combinations in there and we'll just see how that works out."
