S Quintin Mikell

On whether he thought it was necessary to add a lot of speed to the defense at the end of last season: "Yeah, you know, I think so. I think we're a defense that's built on having speed and power. Really, if you don't have speed it kind of takes away your advantage. I think with the front office and (defensive coordinator) Sean (McDermott), they basically went out and said, 'What guys can we get that can play ball, but also play with speed?'"

On whether it's more important because of some of the passing offenses like the Cowboys and Saints: "Not necessarily. I think it's more a fact of our scheme. We have guys that have to move around. It's not necessarily a reactive thing where it's because the Cowboys do this or whoever. It's just basically our scheme that calls for guys that can run, guys that have quickness, getting in and out of breaks, break on the ball, break on blitzing and all kinds of stuff like that."

On how much a rookie can take away after going up against a good offense during the preseason, similar to S Nate Allen on Friday against the Bengals: "Well, it's still preseason. We all have a lot of work to do. I think it's a good start for him. He had a really good game. He played with confidence and he had his eyes in the right spot. That was a good offense, man. They tried some stuff on us and we held our own. I think we can keep building on that and definitely not get complacent right now. He's got the right mindset and I think he's going to be great this year."

On Allen's coverage abilities against Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco and on how important it is to trust a rookie in a situation like that: "The funny thing about that was that wasn't even his man. Basically, he was playing with his instincts. He saw a guy who bounced open and he covered it. I think the mindset sometimes, people think that you can just throw anybody back there at safety. Really, you need to be able to run, you need to tackle and you need great instincts. He has all those tools. I think he did a great job with that kind of play."

CB Dimitri Patterson

On whether he's satisfied with where he stands now: "You can never be satisfied. I came in this league as (an undrafted) free agent. Being a free agent, there's a sense of urgency that you have to have at all times. Complacency should not even be in your vocabulary because no matter what the situation is, it's a constant process of proving yourself day in and day out, whether it's an organization that you're in or you're proving yourself around the league. People are still trying to find out about you. My first four years in the league I was predominantly special teams. The opportunity wasn't there for me at that point. Therefore, I'm still in a position where I have to show everybody – general managers, presidents, whatever the case may be, decision-makers – that I can play corner. Not only play corner, but play at a high level. That's just my goal. Whenever an opportunity comes to show people that I have what it takes to play at a very high level, that's what I'm willing to do and that's what I want to do."

On why he thinks he never got that opportunity: "When I came in to this league, the last two years I was in Kansas City they had Ty Law and Patrick Surtain, you know, well-proven guys. I had to sit behind those guys. There was nothing I could do about that. When the opportunity is presented, I have to humbly embrace that and accept that. Whatever else is given, I just try to make the best of it. I can't make any excuses about that. My mindset was whenever it came, I was going to show it."

LB Akeem Jordan

On whether playing the run is more of a responsibility for him now that he is playing SAM: "That is the responsibility of a lot of linebackers."

On whether this is a chance for him to solidify one linebacker spot after bouncing around from each spot last season: "Wherever they put me, I'll play. There's great competition at all three levels. It's constantly just trying to get better."

On whether LB Ernie Sims is the talker among the linebackers: "He likes to talk to us, to the offense. (LB) Stewart (Bradley), he talks to everybody and gets everybody lined up. Me, I just go out there and try to focus on what I'm doing while listening to those two."

On whether he just lets them talk: "Everybody has to communicate. I say Stew does the most talking out there because he's lining everybody up; he's quarterbacking the defense. And everybody just makes their calls."