Injury Report: "[CB] Nnamdi Asomugha will practice today. He has a neck stinger and a quad contusion. He should be fine. [S] Kurt Coleman has a sternum contusion, and he's going to do what he can do today. He's going to be a bit limited but we'll see how he works out. He's still sore. [WR] Jeremy Maclin has a groin strain, and he'll be limited but he'll be out here. All of those guys went through the walk-through. Mathis, again, he was out here this morning and we'll see how he does with the ankle."
Opening Remarks: "We look forward to playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. It should be a great environment. They've got a good football team – [Bengals head coach] Marvin [Lewis] has done a nice job with that group. They have some good young players and some good veteran players, a nice mix. They'll be a good challenge for us. Our guys are going through the process right now. They came in yesterday and worked a little bit in terms of walk-through and meetings. Today, we had the walk-through this morning and we'll have the practice this afternoon and try to cram everything in during one day. Then, we'll get the mock game tomorrow and we'll be ready to roll on Thursday."
On what he does to make things easier for his team during a short week: "You have some of your people do some work last week before we even get into this game. We had an idea which direction we were going to go. You do as many things as you can to carry over from game plan to game plan from the week before. Then, you add as few things as you can so the players can at least digest that. You're talking about base, goal line, short-yardage, red zone, two-minute, four-minute – all those different areas that you need to combine in there and make sure that the guys can digest it and go out and play it."
On how much a win turned around the confidence of this team: "There is not a lot of time to enjoy the win when you have a Thursday night game, but they were excited. They were excited at the time and they enjoyed the flight back. Really, we got into it yesterday and you put that game behind you. You kind of move on to the Bengals. You didn't have that Monday and Tuesday to enjoy it and then get yourself right by Wednesday."
On whether he plans on doing anything different from last year's Thursday night game with the team's routine to avoid a similar result: "The league looked into that and the East coast to West coast, I don't think the results had been very good for anybody. I did, and went back and looked at the process that we did. We changed a couple things but not that much. There's not a whole lot of changes you can make. We were lucky to have the preseason Friday game where we could put ourselves on a Thursday night schedule. We did that and we worked a couple of things out. It's more with the reps and the number of reps as opposed to changing everything up."
On the challenges for a young quarterback facing the Cincinnati Bengals defense: "They've been together a while, in particular the coaching staff, and they've got all of the wrinkles figured out there. The players are good against both the run and the pass, and they do a lot of things in the secondary. They do a lot of things with fire zones and blitzes that you have to be ready for, and I'm talking from a quarterback's standpoint and a protection standpoint. They do everything that you can do to maximize a defense, and they're going to show you. From a young quarterback's standpoint, you have to put in the time and make sure that you are in there and exhaust the little bit of time that you have."
On whether Reid is looking forward to seeing how QB Nick Foles reacts against defenses: "He's done a good job with that part of it and he's continued to get better. This will be another challenge for him doing it on a short week. I know he was here late last night going over stuff and I'm sure it'll be the same tonight. It's one more step. Let's see how he does with it."
On whether the conversation he had with CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a direct factor in his improved play: "I just think he beared down and had a good game. I think he was focused in and did a good job with it. He did play well and he did have a good game."
On what he came away with after looking at the tape of the Tampa Bay game: "I came away with [the fact that] Tampa Bay has a pretty good run defense. I came away with that. We gave them their best shot with the running part of it that we had, and then we went to the pass game and the short/intermediate screen game and all of the things we have there, which I thought would be a little bit more successful. [Offensive Coordinator] Marty [Mornhinweg] dialed up the right things there that allowed us to move the football. I thought Nick handled it well. That's a lot to dump on a young guy's plate, but he handled it well. I thought his decision-making was good."
On the greatest challenge for the young players who have never seen this short of a turnaround: "It combos you right there. You have to be a tough nut to get over the physical part of it and your body is sore. You have to make sure you take care of it and make sure that you get your rest and keep your liquids in. With your diet, you make sure that you're on top of that. Then, mentally you have to digest the game plan in a short period of time. It's not an easy thing."
On whether S Kurt Coleman will be ready for this week's game: "I think it'll be a stretch for him to be ready. Right now, he's sore so I'm not going to play him when he has soreness in that area. He needs to get out and practice, so we need to see how he does tomorrow. I'd tell you that it's going to be a stretch for him to do that and [S] Colt [Anderson] will probably [be in there]."
On how he thought Anderson played last week: "You saw him make a few tackles in the box, and his responsibilities weren't that much different."
On what role QB Trent Edwards has played in the development of Foles: "I think he's a great influence for him. I think Trent has seen a lot things and has seen the highs and lows of this game. He's a brilliant kid and very, very intelligent. When Nick is here, Trent is here – they do all of this stuff together. I just think it has been a real positive for him in terms of understanding the game, not only the game schematically but the game as a whole with the media and all the attention and everything that comes with it."
On whether Reid plans on making a roster move with TE Brent Celek ruled out: "We'll see. I've got Emil [Igwenagu] there who is a fullback/tight end. If we need to get him in there, we'll get him in there and have him do some things. We'd have to make a move there to do that. He's familiar with both positions and can help us with both of them."
On what stands out about the Bengals: "Right away, they have a stout defense and they're athletic. Offensively, they are explosive. That wide receiver they have [A.J. Green] is a pretty good one. In a short period of time, he has become one of the better ones in the National Football League. Their quarterback, not only is he a redhead, but he's a good redhead. He can sling that thing around and is a pretty good football player."
On whether it is good to go right into another game for momentum: "I don't know. I'd rather come off it with a win than not come off with a win to answer that part of it."
On whether WR Jeremy Maclin will play on Thursday night: "I think he'll be alright."
On how CB Curtis Marsh played: "When he was in there, I thought he did a pretty nice job. He was in there in dime and then he was in for a couple of different reasons. Then, when Nnamdi went down, he was in there for that. I thought he competed. He had a nice breakup on our sideline. He had one there that he wanted to have back when he got back and he missed the jam up. I thought, overall, he competed and did a pretty nice job."
On whether Marsh will be rotated in or get increased playing time: "We'll see how all that goes. Listen, he played well to answer your question."
On whether CB Brandon Boykin can play outside: "Yeah, absolutely."
On whether their defensive line is how he would like to build his defensive line: "They're fast and they're athletic. They have big, tall kids and they have an impressive group. They've done well and they have a number of pressures and sacks on the quarterback. They play the run well."
On the friendship he has with Marvin Lewis: "Dirk Koetter, who you guys are probably familiar with from Atlanta, he and Marvin are best friends. Dirk and I worked together for a number of years and I met him Marvin when I was young and had no gray hair. We have maintained a good friendship over the years."
On whether there was ever a chance for him to join his staff: "He was one of the guys that was interviewed, not that I needed to interview him, but he wanted to stay with the Ravens even though there was a coaching change going on and that worked out well for him. I had the chance to go to Afghanistan with him and spend some time with him there. He's a great person."
