Opening comments:
"Injuries as far as practice goes, and I just went back in there and checked. Again, [LB NaVorro] Bowman, [S Eric] Reid, [TE Vernon] Davis will be in practice today. So, Vernon will be out there today. We'll see exactly where that is with Vernon. The other guys I don't think there's anything too. But, we'll see how he's moving around. But, we feel good enough to get him out there, so we're going to see. I don't want to make any proclamations, because I don't know, but we'll let you know afterwards. And, that's it on the injury front."
Has RB Reggie Bush been practicing in full? Does he look like he's fully healthy, he's going to have a regular game plan for him?
"Yes, sir. Yeah, I mean, you know he's been going in practice the entire week. So, again, we feel real good about where he's at."
How much were you guys, we didn't see much of him in preseason, we only saw him for a handful of plays in Week 1. How much were you handicapped by not having Reggie Bush in the lineup?
"There's, we don't have any excuses like that. And I know you're not asking it that way, but we're not handicapped. We haven't been handicapped."
With the way QB Colin Kaepernick is coming off this last game, do you want to see him kind of get back in the saddle rather than have him lay low? You want to see how he can attack this game still?
"Oh yeah, we're going to come out and play football, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3. And, we're going to go to Week 4 and we're going to come out and go."
How are the Packers using Green Bay Packers LB Clay Matthews this year versus the previous times that you've faced him?
"Well, I mean, [Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator] Dom's [Capers] always been creative with what he does and how he uses people and, I mean obviously, great respect to it. But, [LB] Clay's [Matthews] working the inside stuff on the rush. He's working the outside stuff on the rush. You've seen that through the years. We've all seen it. A few things have come further to light in the last few games that you've watched, with some of the pick games and things that he's working. The guys on the D-Line are doing a nice job with him. So, they're creating up front, like Dom has a history of doing. But, he's playing at a high level and he always has. That front, and [Green Bay Packers defensive line] coach [Mike] Trgovac is always done a heck-of-a job of the front, to me. And, he's got some guys in there and they're rolling and they're playing good defense."
Is there any, obviously, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is really good with his cadence and drawing guys offsides. Is there any secret other than just being disciplined to not jumping offsides?
"Yeah, there's no secret to it. We talked about that the other day. It's something he's really good at, one of the many things he's really good at. And the time that he does it, he knows, you watch games and when you see something like that, that occurs over and over and over, over years, there's a, the guy has a knack of feeling emotion and feeling where the game's at and doing it at times that makes it harder on you. But, you work, you prepare, you watch the tape, you do it in practice, you go like crazy and you attack it that way and we've attacked it."
Last week, there was the play where DL Tony Jerod-Eddie jumped offsides and everyone stopped. Was it just a collective brain cramp or what happened on that play?
"You can't wait to say, oh he came across and he hit the guy. Because some of those, if you go too far unimpeded, the whistle blows. That was, you just have to play. You have to keep playing. I thought he made contact. If you make contact like that then, obviously, they blow that dead. They don't want to give you something unimpeded to the quarterback. But, you can't decipher that. You've just got to play."
That's been an issue, I mean, I think for Rodgers getting guys on that and then Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Is that, I mean, that has to be a major point of emphasis this week, just keep going?
"Yeah. When coaching the D-Line, you talk a lot about, if you're coming off the ball, come off the ball. You know what I mean? Your natural reaction is ooh [move forward] and you want to pull back. And then, we've all seen guys that come off the ball and then blast the O-Linemen. Then you're looking at that going, 'What in the world?' So, the thing to do is to stay onsides."
If RB Reggie Bush is good to go, would you use him on punt returns?
"He'd be one of the guys. I mean, he works those. He's one of the guys. [WR] Bruce [Ellington]. Bruce is running around real good. Obviously, [RB] Jarryd's [Hayne] doing it. So, we feel like we've got a few guys that handle that."
Ellington's good too?
"Yes, sir."
You mentioned on Monday how you felt like the tight ends were a strength of the offense. Maybe to the untrained eye it doesn't necessarily look that way. But, why would you say that, that you believe the tight ends are a strength?
"As I'm watching them on film and things like that and you watch the tracks and the blocking and you watch the way they're doing those things. You watch through the course of three games and you watch through the course of training camp. Coming out of training camp, we felt really great about it and still feel the same way. Think it's a talented group. Think it's a group that does some really good things for us."
And you're talking about the running game?
"Yeah, and the passing game. I mean, our tight ends have caught some footballs. Now, maybe not as deep as you wanted it. Maybe you're thinking about one particular person that people might spend extra time on. But, other guys have caught the ball out of that room. So, they all can catch. We've got some athleticism in there and we've got some guys that'll block."
How do you think your leaders have reacted this week and have you noticed them being more vocal? I know WR Anquan Boldin talked a little bit yesterday about how just, he wants guys to keep working their butts off and he's kind of a lead by example guy. But, have there been some vocal messages from any of the leaders?
"There's been some vocal. Not as much vocal. Short vocal, you know? Not long drawn-out, but short vocal. Just the point of, you get in these rough patches, there's one way to go. You either pull together or you fraction off. I mean, that's in everything you do in life. So, that's when I say I really like the group. I see guys, and it's hard, we all know that it is. But, pulling together and working and we had two good days of practice. Paying attention and guys communicating and they're all in the locker room there together right now. So, I like the people."
* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers