Q. With all the injuries that you've had, you've had to shuffle some pieces. One of those things has been moving Pat Peterson to safety. What do you like about the skillset that allows him to do that, and what could the future bring there at that position as a safety?
TERYL AUSTIN: Well, when we talked to Pat in the off-season about bringing him here, that was one of the things that was exciting about him and he was excited about, was the opportunity to do some different things.
He had done some as I'm sure everybody knows. He played a little bit of safety in some of our dime package, so when we had those extreme circumstances hit it was only natural that he move there. He had done some things there and he does have a skillset for it.
I think moving forward, I still see him as a corner, nickel, that slash guy that does it. Moving forward have to play it by ear and see where we are in terms of depth and what we need from him.
I don't think it's a full time move in the interim.
Q. Historically, those Hall of Fame type cornerbacks extend their career at safety. (Indiscernible.)
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, I mean, I'm not looking at it right now. Obviously I think he could do it. That's something a lot of those guys do because they're good football players, smart football players, so they can transition from outside to inside and see the game. Because you see the game differently outside and inside. For some guys that's a hard switch.
But for a guy like Pat and obviously Rod, those guys can make it because they're really good football players and they see the big picture of the game.
Q. Special attention has been paid to the issues in the middle of the field in terms of inside linebackers, safeties, injuries. What was the problem out front (indiscernible.)
TERYL AUSTIN: We'll give Indy credit, because they did a good job and we just didn't do a good enough job playing and coaching last week. That always starts with me.
I'm from that old school where your guys are a reflection of you. If we didn't do a good job standing up to the run and filling those holes, that's on me to help our guys get better.
Let's give Indy credit. They did a good job and we did not. Starting here.
Q. You guys have done a lot of things with multiple safeties. Obviously Minkah in in there. He's kind of a different chess piece. Do you have to change the way you approach the game knowing you're not going to have him and you might have limited depth in the guy who is playing corner back back there?
TERYL AUSTIN: Absolutely. I think if you had your normal guys that you started with and had a lot of reps there you could do a lot more different things. I think when you don't you have guys that maybe have limited experience back there, I think you kind of tailor things a little bit more, a little bit tighter in what you do and the things do you with it.
I don't think we'll have as much or as many different things, but we'll have enough. Just won't have as many.
Q. Do you have an idea of what you have at safety other than Pat? Other guys are dealing with injuries, too.
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, we'll figure it out when we get to Friday. We have some guys practicing and those guys that make it, we'll suit them up and go with it.
Can I sit here and say that I can definitively tell you who we have? No. We'll figure it out when we get there.
Q. What can you tell us about Eric Rowe? I assume signing a 31 in late November, got a long look at him on the practice squad. Is he someone you guys felt maybe had a chance...
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, I think that was one the reasons we got Eric is we know that he's played some football in this league, good football in this league. If you get to a situation like this, he would be a guy that you could probably lean on.
So he's a guy that, depending on how this thing shakes out, may see him out there this week doing some stuff for us. I would have a comfort level with that us because I've seen him on cross film. I never coached him until he got here, but seen him on cross film and know he's a football player that understands what's goes on in this league and will have a skillset to help us.
Q. Is Kazee still going to be around the team?
TERYL AUSTIN: I'm not sure. They are handling that stuff through the league. When it's all settled in I'll have an answer for you.
Q. What are your thoughts?
TERYL AUSTIN: I have no thoughts. That's the league and they have to go through their process. I have no thoughts on it. I love Kazee. I think he's a good, hard-nosed, tough football player, but he's got to adhere to what those rules are. So we'll find out what his situation will be soon.
Q. Other former players coaches have talked about the challenge of teaching how to tackle, things like that. How much more difficult has it become to teach tackling, to teach proper technique when there is an increase and fines and scrutiny?
TERYL AUSTIN: And it is, I mean, but it's all about the player safety, so that comes on us to just really continue to just try to keep educating our guys and understanding, hey, there will be some situations we can't win.
I think that is really the biggest thing. A lot of times in some situations where you do see maybe a hit, it's really just guys just trying to not let the other guy catch the ball. Not trying to hurt them. Just trying to not let them catch the ball.
There are some times those are situations, hey, guess what, guys? We can't win that one. Have to continue to educate the guys, teach them the proper techniques, and do the best we can that way.
Then go from there.
Q. You seen Cincy have to try to adjust without Tee. How do they try to adjust without Chase?
TERYL AUSTIN: Now they have Tee, so, yeah, they got Tee now, so I think the biggest thing is we have -- they have a really good system. They do a good job moving guys around. The one thing you see is when they didn't have Tee, Chase and Tyler and those guys all move and play different positions.
I think if they don't have Ja'Marr they'll move Tyler and all those guys and just plug-and-play and get those guys in a position they need to cater to their strengths. They do a really good job of that.
Q. Wondering about that too. (Indiscernible) is pretty good up the middle. Is the expectation he might move or just going to keep him at home?
TERYL AUSTIN: I wish I knew. I call Cally if I could. Maybe I'll call Brian and he'll tell me. We got a nice relationship, but I don't know if he'll tell me. I can try. It's Christmas week. Maybe he's nice, I don't know.
Q. Is the expectation they'll use the man that they usually use given your guys...
TERYL AUSTIN: I would think. Our expectation is like anything, when you put some stuff on film that's not very good, other teams are going to come in and try to exploit it.
We're going to try to solidify ourselves against the things that hurt us in the last few weeks or things that pop up on tape and make sure it doesn't continue to show on tape.
I think they would try it attack us in places they think -- I don't know what they're thinking that way.
Q. To that point, since you guys played them last looks like they have been using backs and tight ends more so than in the game against you. Is that what you're seeing on film and how do you combat that?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, that's a good observation. I think they're doing a really good job in terms of incorporating the backs. The young guy is really starting to step up, No. 30. He's got legitimate homerun speed so you better be aware of where he is on the field.
Joe, obviously we know Joe can catch the ball out of backfield. He's doing that. They're really using No. 87 quite a bit as a tight end and more of a receiver type guy.
So they are using those guys, and it makes sense because the quarterback does a good job reading coverages and sees thing and gets the ball out quickly and he is very accurate. That's why you see the uptick in those type of things.
It's a good coaching adjustment by them.
Q. Martinez played a lot two weeks ago and not at all last week. Mike mentioned Myles Jack is an option.
TERYL AUSTIN: Well, that's going to be, as Mike likes to say, the two dog, one bone type deal. We're going to see how those guys practice and see who we feel best about this week, and then we'll make a decision as we get closer to game day.
They're all going to get reps this week and we'll make that decision a little closer to the end of the week.
Q. How have you seen this team respond to adversity and are you getting what you need from practice?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, the effort is good, the meeting attentiveness is good. Our guys are dialed in. Sometimes you just don't get the results you want, the play you want, but I don't ever think being around these guys that's from a lack of effort, lack of want-to, lack of inner fortitude.
It's just sometimes stuff is bad. Only way we can get out of it is us and play through Tee I think that's what our guys are doing. We're working hard. No problems with the work ethic, how guys are approaching meetings and how we're working on the practice field.
Eventually those results will start to show. We always wanted it to happen yesterday, but sometimes it doesn't. It's our job as coaches to keep them moving in the right direction. It's easy with this group because they have been.
Q. Joey Porter Jr., his pass interference, big drive before halftime, number of those. With that aspect of his game, he is a physical corner, how do you work him through that process to make sure he stays on the right side of the line?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, it's what you said: Just got to continue to work with him and educate him on what's acceptable in this game or what's not acceptable in this game that was acceptable in the college game.
That's always learning with a lot of, you know, defensive backs. When you watch a college game it's officiated differently than our game. Things that he may not have got called for in college he's going to get flagged here.
So we continue to work through that and educate it and practice it. Eventually it has to come around. If not, he's going to be I think right now probably the second highest penalized DB in the league.
If not he's going to continue to be up there and that's going to hurt his effectiveness. He's a good player. If we can get those things out of his game and work at him and educate him, he'll be all right.
And I think he will get those outside of his game.
Q. (Indiscernible.) Probably not going to be 100%?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, this time of year.
Q. Is that limiting how much you can use him?
TERYL AUSTIN: No, he is tough and has no -- right now he's been fighting through and has no limits on what he does or how we use him.
Q. So at that position, you switched (indiscernible) is he practicing well? Is it a match up thing or...
TERYL AUSTIN: A little bit of both. A little bit of both. Sometimes it's a match up thing this terms of what we're running and what we expect out of that position.
And a lot of it is sometimes how we're practicing and doing in practice. Again, there is two guys. We don't have enough hats, so those guys are working their tail off to make sure they get a hat on Sunday.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports