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The team's official site has a transcript up of all today's post-practice quotes from Gary Kubiak & Co. Here are some of the highlights...
Gary Kubiak:
(on if there are any updates on the injuries from yesterday’s practice) “No, we’re good. (OLB) Sam Montgomery did not practice this morning. He’s got a sore ankle. We thought he could go and he ended up not going. Other than that, we’re back at it. Had a good cool morning to work. The rain helped out a little bit, so good day.”
(on if there is an update on TE Garrett Graham) “Garrett, he’s got the flu or some type of virus and has been really sick. Hoping that he might be back around the building today. The plan was to have him on the field tomorrow. Obviously, if he’s not getting better, which he is getting somewhat better, we’ll keep him away from the guys. So we’ll see. I’m hoping he’s here tomorrow. He’s fine. He’s just battling a bug.”
(on how the schedule works out with putting on pads) “Let’s see, I think tomorrow we can put our shells on. I think the progression is that way. I think we’ll put our full gear on the next day, which will be what, Monday? We can slowly work ourselves into it, but we’re pretty physical in everything we do. That time’s coming.”
(on T Ryan Harris) “Yeah, well, he’s a very disciplined person. I would just say this, he looks really good. We’re going to play our best two tackles. We know who our left tackle is and (T) Ryan (Harris), he’s in the mix, he’s working on both sides every day. He’s probably as healthy as he’s been in his career. He really likes what we do. I think he’s starting to really flourish in what we do. I like how far he’s come. We’ll see.”
Arian Foster:
(on how he is doing physically) “I’m feeling good, physically. I’m doing good.”
(on if he was surprised about being put on PUP) “Sometimes muscle injuries can linger. You can’t play through it. It’s not like playing through a broken collarbone. I have played through a lot of things, but this is just something you can’t and there’s no reason to right now. I’m just going to take my time and when I feel 100 percent confident, I’ll be ready.”
(on target date for return) “It’s just got some light soreness in there, it’s nothing. I can do pretty much everything, so I’m just going to take it day-by-day.”
(on reflecting on his career accomplishments) “I already did that last year, so we are on to the next one, baby.”
(on getting RB Ben Tate back) “I have said it all the time. I have been saying it since I first got here. Ben Tate is a starter in this league. He can go to other teams and start, easily. He is a very, very talented running back. We have long talks and I always tell him, ‘be patient, you’re time is going to come whether it’s here or somewhere else.’ He deserves it, he works hard so it’s fun to see him get a little bit of burn when I’m not in there. He knows how this league goes and I know how this league goes, so he is very patient and his opportunity is going to come whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Greg Jones:
(on how practice is different) “A little bit more fast-paced. Kub (Head Coach Gary Kubiak) takes care of the guys and just being in Jacksonville, it’s a good different. I can say that it’s a good different. I’m enjoying myself and I’m taking it all in stride.”
(on what is different) “It’s because he (Gary Kubiak) don’t grind you. Back in the day in Jacksonville, we grinded a lot. He doesn’t really believe in that, so that’s why I say it’s a good different.”
Johnathan Joseph:
(on how much pride he takes in bringing CB Kareem Jackson along and being put into the category of being one of the top cornerback tandems in the league) “It’s good to see because, when I got here, everybody talked about they couldn’t play and I’ve seen something in him that (DBs) Coach VJ (Vance Joseph) saw it in him as well. It just took a little time and now, look at him, everyday he’s out there making plays. It’s hard to catch a ball on him, and he did the same thing on the game field. For Kareem, it’s just all about having confidence and showing it each and every week.”
(on the leadership of FS Ed Reed even though he is not practicing) “Absolutely. We’re talking nonstop, constantly, whether it’s in the film room, the locker room, out here on the practice field on the side of the field. He brings a great deal of knowledge to the game of football and to us. He’s obviously older than us and played this game a lot longer and you add more experience. It’s like having an extra coach on the field at the same time.”
J.J. Watt:
(on his weight compared to a year ago) “Weight-wise, I’m exactly the same as last year. I’m right at 290. I’m right where I need to be.”
(on if the elbow injury last year was a fluke and whether or not he thinks about it when he’s out there now) “It was a 100 percent fluke. It’s just a fluke thing. You can’t avoid things like that.”
(on how he feels without the elbow brace this year) “It’s nice. It’s nice to not have the brace. It’s nice to be able to go out there and have confidence in my elbow.”
Trevardo Williams:
(on the things he is working on to get ready for Minnesota) “I’m just working on my fundamentals. It’s all fundamentals for me. Just starting all over from scratch and getting comfortable in the two-point stance and you know, just working on my basics.”
(on how much Coach Reggie Herring has helped him get to where he needs to be) “Everything. In meeting rooms, we sit down and talk a lot about what I need to learn, where my weaknesses are and where I need to develop.”
(on the veterans that have taken him under their wing and helped him) “(OLB Bryan) Braman, (OLB Whitney) Mercilus, (OLB Brooks) Reed, they all took me under their wing. They give me little tips here and there that I can use to, you know, better my technique and I accept it gratefully.”