TRANSCRIPT: Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt, 10-2-12

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Shaky

Guest
TRANSCRIPT: Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt, 10-2-12


Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt – Conference Call – October 2, 2012

(On where they are in the practice schedule)
“I guess it’s kind of a combination Wednesday/Thursday for us here, and then tomorrow will be a combination Friday/Saturday, the day before the game.”

(On if he has ever had a Thursday game and if it is different from a Sunday game)
“Yeah, it is. It’s a little bit different. We did one in ’08 since I’ve been with the Cardinals, but I did a couple of them when I was in Pittsburgh. So, I at least have an idea of what to expect as far as schedule and what you’re trying to get done.”

(On how it feels to be 4-0)
“When you’re in season, you’re just so focused on each week, and it seems like it’s such a big challenge each week that you really don’t think about it that much. Obviously, we’re excited to be 4-0. We’ve had four up-and-down games. We’ve had a lot of trauma in them, so there’s been a lot of emotion extended, but just to be where we are, we’re certainly pleased about that.”

(On if he believes that momentum from the previous season can carry over into the next season)
“I think that’s a hard thing to say because, generally, your team that you had last year won’t stay intact – you’ll lose players, players will retire, you’re always getting new players in via the draft, so I don’t know. That was one of the messages that we said to the team this summer in camp was that just because we finished strong it doesn’t automatically carry over. You have to put the work in. You have to be prepared to start anew. But I think the one thing that we did draw out of it is that you can fight hard. We were able to win some close games last year and I think that gave us confidence going into some of the games that we’ve had earlier this year, that we can win those games and that’s a big thing, I think, for our team.”

(On if he sees similarities in how the Rams and Arizona are winning games)
“I don’t really pay a lot of attention to the statistics where the record… I think, we look at what we see on tape. They’re a well coached football team. They play hard. They’ve got a number of playmakers on both sides of the ball. We know very well that we’re going to have a stiff challenge coming in there playing the game Thursday night. I’m very impressed with what I see of this team on tape.”

(On if he notices any changes in the Rams on tape in comparison to previous seasons that indicate that this is a Fisher-coached team)
“Well, he’s a very good coach. He’s been in this business a long time. I played against him when he was at Tennessee. I see similarities as far as how his team plays. They’re well coached. They play hard and I see that translated on the field, so I have a lot of respect for that. But I’ve always had a lot of respect for the players in St. Louis, regardless of what the situation has been in my time here in Arizona and playing against that team. We’ve had some battles. They work hard and play hard and they’ve got some good players on that team.”

(On what he saw in CB Patrick Peterson coming out of college and how he’s developed since joining the team)
“Well, he’s a very mature young man. I think that’s one of the things that really stood out when we were interviewing him and doing all the pre-draft preparation things. He works very hard at getting better every day. Last year, he had a big year from a standpoint of making big returns. I know he had them against St. Louis. The thing that is most impressive about Patrick is that he’s very talented physically, but he really works at it mentally. He wants to be good. He works on technique. He works on fundamentals and he’s a very good young leader on our football team. He has a lot of the qualities that you want, not only just from when we talk about athletically, but also the intangible qualities. He’s continuing to work. He thinks that he’s got a lot of room for improvement. That’s the kind of mentality you want out of some of the best young players on your team.”

(On Peterson’s punt returning)
“I think that punt returns for touchdowns don’t just happen all the time. Patrick had a few last year and hopefully, he’ll have some going forward, but he’s working at it just like he did last year. I think teams maybe are punting away from him and are trying to make sure they account for him, much like you do when you play a team like the Bears and they have a guy like (WR) Devin Hester back there. I don’t know that there’s anything you can do other than keep working and hopefully, Patrick will get an opportunity to break one, one of these games.”

(On the NFC West)
“I think that’s one of the things we all talked about going into this season, was that every team had gotten better and that it was going to be a tough division. It sure looks like that’s the way it is after only four games.”

(On LB Daryl Washington)
“He’s gotten better each year as a young player coming in here and fitting into our scheme. It’s nice to see him making the plays and having the type of production that he’s having for us. That was one of the reasons we were excited to get him extended from a contract standpoint. He’s another one of those guys like Patrick - he always wants to get better. Athletically he’s talented, but he works hard at the mental side of it and he’s also a good, young leader. As far as trying to build a strong core with your young players, he’s one of those guys that’s a very important part of that.”

(On the Rams’ defense)
“They do a lot of different things. They play their scheme very well. They’ve got some good players that understand that scheme. They present some challenges from the different looks that you face. You’ve got a lot of things that you’re trying to prepare for in a short week, and they’ve got some talented players. They’ve got some good edge rushers, their secondary is playing at a high level and their inside backers, or their linebackers, are good players. They present a number of challenges for you.”

(On QB Kevin Kolb)
“He’s done a good job for us in these last four games. When he stepped in for (QB) John (Skelton) in the first game and took us down the field and scored the touchdown to essentially win the game for us, I certainly think that that did a lot for his confidence after having gone through the competition this past spring and even in training camp. He’s gotten better and better the last few games. He’s done a nice job for us.”

(On his offensive line allowing eight sacks to Miami last week)
“I think we definitely can’t allow that to happen. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen this week. We’re working to try to get better at that. We’ve got some new players, some young players on that line and they struggled in last week’s game. The challenge, in a short week, is to work on some of the technique things that were creating those issues and hopefully we’ll be better this week.”

(On DT Darnell Dockett)
“It’s a short week, so we’re trying to get him ready. I think a lot of it is going to be determined by how he does in practice today. He’s getting better, but we just won’t know until we see later in the week.”
 

Shaky

Guest
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2
Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson – Conference Call – October 2,

Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson – Conference Call – October 2, 2012

(On it being a short week)
“It’s an easy adjustment for me. I’m 22 years old, so I can bounce back fairly quicker than the other guys around here in the locker room. It’s tough for a lot of guys. It’s tough for me, too, because we normally have these Tuesdays off to give our bodies a chance to recuperate, but we’re back in the office. We have to live with it. It’s something that’s on the schedule. Hopefully, we can prepare well and go out there to St. Louis and get another win.”

(On his punt return touchdowns last season against St. Louis)
“We’ll see. I’m sorry that those guys are back up on the schedule again, but if they give me an opportunity, I have to do my job. We’ll see what those guys’ intentions in the game plan are for this week’s game.”

(On how he was able to score two touchdowns on punt returns against the Rams last season)
“(Former Rams P Donnie) Jones, he was getting a hold of the ball. He was having five-plus hang time punts. It was just the vice. They were doing such a great job of keeping the gunners off of me. The interior guys did a great job of blocking and once I got the ball in my hands, those guys opened up seams for me so I could make something happen.”

(On how teams are forcing him to change his approach this season)
“I definitely have to change my approach because now, teams are definitely playing extra hard this year versus last year to get me on the ground and to bottle me up on the sideline. Directioning their punts, and things like that. This year, I have to just be more patient. I have to just let the play come to me. Whenever the play presents itself to me, I have to make it happen. Hopefully, St. Louis will give me an opportunity. These other teams haven’t been giving me much opportunity, but last week, I had plenty of opportunities. I just put the ball on the ground too many times, but hopefully, I can bounce back this week.”

(On when their season turned around last year)
“I would probably say once everybody learned how to play defense and how (defensive coordinator) Coach (Ray) Horton wanted us to play. I believe that’s when a lot of the things came a lot more easier for this team. Not only the back half of the season, but the team that worn on to this season happened in mini camps, happened in OTAs, having that time to have that chemistry, having that time to get the communication down pat. I believe that was definitely key. We definitely started off slow last year, but once everyone knew what to do, it was second nature to us. All we had to do was just go out there and play fast football and play with relentless effort and for each quarter, give 110% and that’s what we’ve been doing. That’s how we’ve been getting away with these ‘W’s.”

(On if he is familiar with the Cardinals franchise when they were in St. Louis)
“Actually, I don’t. I’m a 90s baby, so that’s way before my time.”

(On being involved on the offensive side of the ball)
“I love being a part of the offense because it was something I did the majority of my life, majority of my years playing pee-wee football, high school football. I didn’t have the opportunity to play it in college, but I have the ability to do it. But to have a chance to do it at the highest level in the NFL to help my team move the ball downfield, help put them in great field position, that’s an honor to have a defensive guy come over and try to help those guys out on the offensive side. I love every bit of it.”

(On the name of the wildcat formation when he’s involved)
“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely called the ‘Pat Cat.’ Whenever 21 is coming in the game, it’s the Pat Cat.”

(On if he likes the name)
“I’m all good with it. I approved it. It has Patrick Peterson’s stamp of approval.”

(On how he’s developed at cornerback throughout his career)
“I’m getting better each and every week. My goal is definitely to be the top corner in this league. I think I’m taking the necessary steps to getting there. Playing the cornerback position is definitely a tough position to play in this league. But, I believe I have great guys in the defensive back room that (have) been through a lot, that played with a lot of great guys, that can teach me how to be a pro, teach me just certain things that I need to learn – how to watch film, understanding the concept of the defense, things like that. I definitely believe that I’m definitely taking great strides and great steps into being a premier cornerback in this league.”

(On the Rams’ receivers and the challenges that they present)
“I mean, those guys names are shifty. So, I don’t want to slaughter my man’s last name, No. 16 (WR Danny Amendola), but he’s doing a great job of giving Sam (Bradford), the quarterback, great looks and he’s getting open when he needs to. He has great, strong hands. He’s a hard worker. The ball can be on the other side of the field, he’s still blocking on the opposite side, so that says a lot about him. So, we have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us. But I think they have a pretty good corps with their receivers and also they have (RB) Steven Jackson that can open it up with the running game as well.”

(On the difference in the pass defense between Week 3 and Week 4)
“We just had some mental breakdowns. That was it. That was on the back half. We cleaned that stuff up. We had a guy in that forgot…he’s been out of commission…(CB) Greg Toler being out with the ACL, he just forgot one of his assignments, but we’ve got all that stuff cleaned up. We’re not pointing fingers around here. As a defense, as a whole, we didn’t play to the best of our abilities. So, we have to come out here Thursday and bounce back and put up a better performance than we did Sunday.”

(On his former LSU teammates DT Michael Brockers and T Joe Barksdale)
“They’ve got Joe Barksdale in St. Louis now? I get to see Joe again. But those guys, especially ‘Brock’ – I was closer to ‘Brock’ than Joe, obviously, because he was on the defensive side of the ball – but those guys are some great players and hopefully they can contribute and to try to help their team win the ball game. But, LSU ‘til I die. Hopefully, I can get the chance to speak to those guys and put the game aside, just for a second, and we’ll just go out there and do our job to help our team win the ball game.”

(On if there’s been any special attention to note when Danny Amendola is on and off the field during field goal attempts)
“That’s what we do, especially as the field goal block team. We always check the sidelines, so I believe we’re pretty well-coached at that position. So, if those guys try, I believe we’ll be more than ready for it, but I doubt that they try it two weeks in a row.”
 

MJRevell

UDFA
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
8
Can't wait for this game!

It'll be interesting to see how Dockett and the Cards' D Line handle Steven Jackson.