Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Opening Statement:
A: “This team comes out and works hard. The hard work in practice and the hard work in the meetings will show up. We have made improvements and we really need a win.”
On the Falcons earning a victory:
A: “We want a win. There is no question that it’s going to happen because our players continue to practice, prepare and their attitudes are positive. This is a good group to coach and our hard work will definitely pay off. We need it sooner (rather) than later.”
Q: Are you wishing there were not distractions from Sunday’s game?
A: “Obviously, you don’t like distractions. We’ve dealt with them, put them behind us and we’ve moved on to Houston.”
Q: What is DeAngelo Hall’s punishment?
A: “We are keeping that in-house and that is something between us.”
Q: Did you think it would take this long to get a win?
A: “No, I didn’t think so. I thought we were well prepared in each game we’ve been in. We were right there in the Jacksonville game and we were right there last week. We have to find a way to win. We are doing things that don’t allow us to win and we have to change that. We have to be more successful on offense in the second half and we have to stop the run on defense. It will come.”
Q: What have you learned about yourself after the first four weeks of the season?
A: “I don’t like losing and I learned that quickly. You have to be patient and it’s a transition. As long as we continue to have a winning attitude, the wins will show up.”
Q: Is there something you could have done differently to address the DeAngelo Hall situation at the moment?
A: “I’ve already addressed that and I feel we did a good job with it. Now it’s time to put it behind us.”
Q: On being familiar with Texans quarterback Matt Schaub:
A: “I didn’t get to know him that well because he was only here for two or three weeks (since I arrived). He’s played very well for them; he’s distributing the ball and he’s getting it out of his hands quickly. He has the ability to throw the ball deep and we have to do a good job defensively of understanding what their offenses and routes are. We really have to clamp down on their passing game.”
Q: Talk about injuries to Chris Crocker and Todd Weiner.
A: “Crocker came out of the game and was sore. We feel like he’ll be back tomorrow, but he did not participate today. Weiner tweaked his knee a little bit. Hopefully, we’ll have him back tomorrow.”
Q: Talk about the Houston defense.
A: “Their defensive front has done a nice job for them. (Mario) Williams is playing both ends. They are starting him at the right end on run situations and they flip him over on pass situations. The rookie (Amobi) Okoye is doing a nice job for them and they have a middle linebacker that can really run and hit. They’ve played very good defense. We have to be patient, but we also have to take our shots.”
Q: How surprised or disappointed are you that Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana?
A: “It’s the first I’ve heard of it and I know nothing about that.”
Q: What type of advice would you give Michael Vick?
A: “We’re all cheering for Michael and there is no question about that. He has to make some changes in his life and (marijuana) would be another one that he has to get straightened out.”
Q: How has Joe Horn been incorporated into the offense?
A: “We got the ball in Joe’s hands three times last week. He had a big third down conversion and another one that continued a drive and allowed us to get a field goal at the end. Joe is working very hard and he’s doing a good job of leading. I like the fact that we are mixing the ball around. There are a lot of different guys involved in the offense.”
Q: Can you explain how you are using Ovie Mughelli in the run and pass game?
A: “Ovie has done a great job on our lead game, which is one of the parts of the running game that we are comfortable with. He’s big, physical and does a good job going in there. We’ve been able to balance our run and pass ratio when he’s been in the game. We need to continue to do that and get the ball in his hands a little bit more.”
Q: Can you update us on Dwayne Blakely and Rod Coleman?
A: We ran Rod really hard over the weekend and he is a little bit sore. He was back out there working today. I don’t know if he’ll be ready this weekend, but we hope to get him back into practice next week. Blakely is still out with a pectoral injury. It is getting better and he is getting his strength back. I don’t anticipate him to be ready this weekend either. His injury happened in a game during a kickoff return.”
