Head coach Gary Kubiak and right guard Chris White answered questions from the media Friday after practice. The following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Head coach Gary Kubiak Right guard Chris White
Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on LB Brian Cushing being back) "Yeah, he took his normal amount. He's good to go."
(on DT Shaun Cody) "Shaun is not here, but he is doing better. I talked to him today. We'll monitor his situation over the next 24 hours. He's just sick."
(on G Antoine Caldwell and G Chris White this week) "They both worked extremely hard. They're going to split time in the game. Chris is going to start the game being a veteran player. Hey, it's a great opportunity for both of them. Obviously, we need them to step up very big. Between the two of them, we need them to hold down that spot and play well. We're kind of venturing off into a new area here with these young players up front, which is different, but I expect them to do their job. They'll split the time right down the middle, unless one of them is just playing his tail off. We expect to come out of the game and be able to evaluate them right down the middle."
(on Caldwell's being prepared from playing in college at Alabama) "Oh it helps. He's known since Wednesday, coming out here, that he's going to play. So it's not like we went through the week and lost a guy late there in the week. His eyes have been wide open since Wednesday. He's practiced well. He's done some good things and I know he's excited about his chance."
(on if he is mainly worried about mental mistakes with Caldwell) "Well, just two very young players. Chris, obviously, has played a lot of football. I think they'll be fine mentally, but they're going against some dang good football players in a tough, loud environment. If you're going to get your first action as a pro, it probably couldn't be a tougher spot for him, but that's why we drafted him."
(on if Cody will be able to play on Sunday) "You know, I don't know. We'll have to see."
(on what they will do if Cody can't play) "Obviously, you've got (DT) Frank (Okam) and (DT) DelJuan (Robinson). We'll have to make a decision between the two of them."
(on what it says about DT Jeff Zgonina that he doesn't activate the two young guys but play him) "He's been playing as good as anybody we've got. He's been very consistent, very technical. He's been about as consistent as any player we've had. I don't care how old he is, he's going to go out there if he's doing his job."
(on Chris White) "He's a journeyman pro in this league that has found jobs because he can do a lot of things and he's very smart. Whether Chris plays 12 years or 13 years—it's probably his time coming up. We're fixing to find out. That's what those guys work for, opportunities like this and we'll see how he does."
RG Chris White
"It's definitely a chance that I've been waiting on and you know hopefully I'll get in there and just make the most of it."
(on how much it helps to have a few days to prepare) "A lot. The scheme and everything is pretty simple and I'm just going to go out there and make the most of my opportunity."
(on if it's a blessing or a curse that he's played more than one position) "It's kind of a blessing being a jack of all trades and it definitely helps out a lot because I'm familiar with pretty much all the spots so it just kind of helps to fall in there and play."
(on if it can be a curse as well) "You know what? It kind of is but at the same time I'm pretty keen on just playing ball. So if they need me to pay tackle, even though I don't play tackle, if they needed me there, I'll do it. If they wanted me to play punter, I'll give it a try. Wherever they need me to be, that's where I'm going to go."
(on sharing time with C Antoine Caldwell) "It's part of the game. If he gets the chance to play, as I told him before, you know, ball out. If I get a chance to play, ball out. It's part of the game so I'm just going to take my opportunity when it's given to me and play."
