Q: What are your thoughts on Jerod Mayo signing a contract extension and what went into those negotiations and that decision?
NC: Yeah, Jerod's been a good player since he's been here. He's done a lot of things to help our football team both on and off the field and the goal was to try and keep him here as long as we can and that's what we did.
Q: Does doing this deal for Mayo now when he had two years left indicate that contract negotiations with Wes Welker have stalled?
NC: Any discussions that we have regarding players and contractual situations we keep that between representatives and ourselves. I mean, right now we're focused on getting ready for the Miami Dolphins. Coming off a game last night, [we'll] make the corrections from that game and we'll move forward and get ready for Miami this week - that's what we're focused on.
Q: Have you guys made a roster decision on Andre Carter?
NC: We haven't done anything yet as of today.
Q: If you do need to make a move and pick up a guy are there defensive ends available? Or is this a situation - you've invested in Markell Carter on the practice squad - that you look internally?
NC: We'll do what we do every week - we'll take inventory of what's available league wide, what's available on the street, look at our situation, and then do what we feels is best for the football team like we always do.
Q: When you look at all the moves that you've had to make primarily on defense whether it's due to injury or you think you can upgrade the team, has this been one of the more hectic seasons for you just going through possible replacement guys to sign this week or the next week?
NC: I think really you try to do the best you can every given week. Every team goes through it on a weekly basis and we're certainly no different than the other team. The idea is whatever players come into this program, you bring them in with the intention that they're going to be able to make plays. [Whether there's been more activity] this year, maybe there has been, but that's just that the league works and the way that personnel departments work. We've got a great staff and we invest a lot of time into it and we just try to stay as prepared as we possibly can be and making decisions and moves that we feel are necessary at any given point in time. A lot of it too is that when you bring player into your program a lot of it is - there have been examples of guys this year - Nate [Jones] has come in and given us a lot of production. Eric [Moore] we brought in on short notice. A lot of it too is the players coming in and doing their job, working hard, getting themselves prepared, spending time with the coaches. There are a lot of people that are involved in everything.
Q: What kind of progress has Markell Carter made this year in practice and what have you seen from him?
NC: I think since he's been here from training camp up until this point I would say he's certainly made progress. The biggest thing with him is coming from a lower level of competition and that situation as well, didn't really have the aid of an offseason program, but he's worked hard. He's a player through practice - whether it's during practice, on the look team, whether it's the defensive snaps, whether it's post-practice, whether it's in the meetings. He's worked hard, he's applied himself and I'd say that he's made progress which I think is what you want to see with any young player. He's worked hard, he's done a nice job and we're happy to have him in the program.
