Friday is a really big game (against the Oakland Raiders) for a lot of guys, and annually it's always been that way when it comes down to the final preseason game.
Coach (Mike Holmgren) got it framed the right way to the team talking about it: "When you're in there, give it everything you have. You've worked too hard to get this opportunity to let it slip away. After the game, you don't want to look yourself in the mirror saying I wish I would have done this or I wish I would have done that. You can't have any regrets."
What he's talking about is exactly what the last preseason game is about. This is the best opportunity they'll have and they all know it. Not many starters play at all. This is their time.
For us, there seem to be more decisions coming down to the wire than there have been in the (four years) I've been with this team. We have a lot of depth, real competitive guys and that's what you want training camp to be about. We looked at it and there's a scenario where we could have 17 people from the last two drafts and free agency make our football team. That's a tribute to the job our personnel department has been doing and that's a lot of new people challenging some guys that have been here for awhile.
That's a real high number that makes it very competitive every day here and that's the kind of situation you strive for to make your football team better.
I don't see us looking very seriously at the waiver wire. I really don't, and I can't always say that. We're busy with our own guys. In fact, my guess is there are other teams that are busy waiting for our own guys too. You've got to make the right decision. You want it to be this way. It's a double-edged sword, that's for sure. It's good for the team in the long run, but you hate to let people go that you know have a future in the National Football League.
This has been a productive camp despite the injuries. Watching how Charlie Frye has come along at quarterback proves Mike Holmgren's system. The longer you're in this offensive system, and it's a difficult system, once you get it, you become who you are. That's the Charlie Frye we all saw in college and liked. We didn't see that Charlie Frye very often with the Browns. It never came around. You can tell he likes this system and you could tell the other night in San Diego he's getting comfortable and confident with what he's doing.
We'll see what kind of effect it has on Seneca (Wallace) and the rest of the team. All of that will be decided here shortly. It certainly presents that option for us. And that's what we wanted out of camp, to have all these players compete to their highest level so we would have very solid options and difficult decisions to make at the final cut.
Now they all have one more shot Friday night and then we have to deal with the toughest part of the decision-making process - letting a large number of them go. We respect what every one of these guys have brought to the table for us through camp. We brought them here because we knew they had talent, with great character on and off the field. They've all shown us that, and hopefully they're all better football players because of what they've learned here from our coaching staff.
