DAVID CULLEY: Normally, when I'm getting up here, guys, we're done with practice. We haven't even started practice yet. So we're getting into that mode right now.
Q. Can you tell me, please, about what would it mean to the defense if Omenihu could play this season like he played in the first half against the Cowboys?
DAVID CULLEY: Well, that was the first half, and that's what we expect from him, and that's what we expect from that same group that they're playing in. I think one of the reasons you start to see guys now with their level playing the way we feel like they're capable of playing, I go back to the competition, and competition makes people better.
Q. How much does it help that he plays inside and outside?
DAVID CULLEY: Well, it shows his versatility, and obviously with what we're doing on defense, with him being able to go inside and go outside helps us, and probably with his versatility that allows us to be able to do more things.
Q. Tytus said that it's not etched in stone that he's at left guard. He's kind of played all over the place. What's he looking at right now as to where he's going to end up? What do you need to see right now?
DAVID CULLEY: Again, this preseason game right here, we'll kind of after this game decide exactly how we want to group those guys up front. Right now we're still going through that process.
Q. You talked about versatility. What about Tytus'?
DAVID CULLEY: Same thing. The fact that all training camp we've been able to move those guys around and those guys have played multiple positions has helped us basically make that decision in where we feel like they'll best fit, and that's been good for us.
Q. With the amount Lovie rotates the defensive linemen and affects the roster construction, does that affect how you deal with that position versus other teams you've been involved with?
DAVID CULLEY: What that does, he feels like we've got more guys on that defensive line that can play. Again, it all goes back to having fresh guys up front, especially with those four linemen that we're playing with three linebackers. It helps to have fresh guys, and we've been fortunate because of our depth to be able to rotate those guys in and out.
And we've basically been rotating them in and out, not as a first group or second group, but just as, okay, these are the guys that are in this series, these are the guys that are in this series.
Q. What have you seen from David Johnson as far as this training camp, and what's your goal for the season?
DAVID CULLEY: I'll tell you what, he's very versatile. He's a guy that basically has been very, very good during his career in third down situations as well as on first and second down, and with the depth that we have at our back position right now with those guys, his versatility becomes very, very important for us, and I feel good about where he's been during this training camp.
Q. How did you and Tim Kelly approach blending your offensive philosophies? And how has that tangibly played out so far?
DAVID CULLEY: I think more so than a philosophy, it's what we have to do to fit our personnel. Basically through my career, places I've been, basically my offensive philosophy is dictated by the people that you have plan for you. Tim, obviously, did a nice job of doing that last year here, and obviously with us wanting to be a little bit better at running the football, he understands where I'm coming from with that mindset.
Basically, as far as the philosophical thing is, it's what does our personnel do best? We've been able to mesh that, and we feel like we've got a good mix of that right now.
Q. With the moves you all have made in defensive backs, particularly cornerback, what do you think that says about how you all feel about the depth at cornerback, and how would you say your cornerback depth is right now?
DAVID CULLEY: There's some veteran guys back there. Obviously, when you have cuts and you cut guys at a certain position, when that happens, obviously, that's a position because obviously with Roby not being able to play in the first game, obviously, we're going to be without him for that one game. So we've got to be able to have people back there to be able to take that role and be able to roll in there and go.
Q. Do you have an update on Tunsil and Nico?
DAVID CULLEY: Nico will practice today. Tunsil will not.
Q. (Inaudible) Your thoughts on him as a taller corner?
DAVID CULLEY: He has really good corner ability. He has the ability to be able to do what we want to do back there. He's a smart player. He's a player that kind of understands what we're trying to do back there on defense, and we feel like he fits very well then.
Q. You were talking about matching personnel with offense. Obviously, making decisions here in the next week or so, what have you noticed that you, as a team, do do well?
DAVID CULLEY: Well, I don't feel like we've done as well as we need to running the ball or throwing the ball. Obviously, when you go 0 for 10 on third downs, that's not what you want. I think we need to keep improving both with the balance of where we want to be running and passing the ball, and we're going to continue to work on that. But we're nowhere near where we need to be at this point.
Q. You worked with some of the most respected coaches in the league in Andy Reid and John Harbaugh. What's kind of one thing about their culture and their setup that you want to employ here?
DAVID CULLEY: The one word I've always been told about Andy Reid, and 18 years with him, the consistency. You always knew every day when you came in the building, as a coach and as a player, what to expect, and I've carried that with me. To me, that's a credit to his longevity and to success that he's had. It not only works for him, but it works for anybody that has that kind of philosophy. The consistency is to important.
Then going back to John, John is so versatile in things. He was a special teams coach for most of his career as an assistant, and then he became a head coach, and at that point, he was saying, well, he's a special teams coach, how does he handle being a head coach? The one thing about that is he's always said that we're all football coaches. We all know football.
He says the thing is what happens when you're put in the position of being head coach is you just become the head coach of the whole football team, but you're still a football coach and you still do the same things you did as an assistant, but now you're looking at the big picture instead of the small picture.
Q. I know it's an obvious question, but how much of that molds you into the guy you are right now?
DAVID CULLEY: The big thing with me is I know whatever we're preaching as far as a culture has got to be the same every day, every minute that we're here, and in order for them to believe that, they've got to see me every day coming in and understanding that what I'm saying is what we're doing, and basically that's what I try to do and will continue to do. That's all I know.
Q. How did seeing John have the success he has up close coming from the background you have informed kind of how confident you are stepping into this job having not been a coordinator yourself?
DAVID CULLEY: I was fortunate enough that for seven years he was my -- not office mate, but I was next door to him, so we were kind of close with that. And basically just -- first of all, how he is as a human being, and then translating that over into the coaching. It's not just about what you do on the football field, it's also about what you are as a person with your character and whatnot.
That's the one thing that he carries over and he preaches that to his team every day, and we do the same thing here. Then that's how I feel the same way.
Q. There's a bite that Tampa has on the defensive side of the ball. Hasn't said if they will play their starters. If they do play their starters on the defensive side of the ball, how big of a test do you think that would be for you guys offensively learning what you have?
DAVID CULLEY: We're going to play our guys, just like they're going to play their guys. Obviously, they're the defending Super Bowl champions, and it will be a good test for us probably seeing the best group of frontline players that we've seen because basically we haven't seen in the first two ball games, we didn't see all of Green Bay's starters, we didn't see all of Dallas' starters, and vice versa with us.
They're going to put their guys out there. We're going to put our guys out there, and we're going to go and evaluate from there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports