Coach Cowher:  Let me give you an injury update as we go into the game against Atlanta this week. Only one player is definitely out, that is James Harrison with his ankle. Joey Porter with his hamstring is doubtful. We have two players that are questionable:  Willie Reid with his foot and Kendall Simmons with his foot. Three players are probable: Deshea Townsend with a hamstring, Dan Kreider with the ankle sprain and Jeff Hartings with his knee.

Last week, I thought, was obviously the most complete game of the season and one that was much needed. But then again, as we talked about it yesterday, really nothing has changed. We put ourselves in a situation now to see if we could sustain that level. We are going down into a tough place. Atlanta is a very good football team and coming off the tough loss would make them twice as dangerous because they are a lot like we were a week ago. We recognize the challenge that is ahead of us and are looking forward to it.

How did Chris Kemoeatu play last week?

He did well. I though the whole offensive line did well. When you run for over 200 yards, you are doing something right. I thought they did a good job of protection and handling some of the blitzes and the preparation we had leading up to it because they presented some unique fronts. We did a good job as a staff and the execution was excellent.

Has Marvel Smith been particularly good the last two weeks in pass protection?

I think Marvel has had a good year. I am just looking at last week and particularly looking at that, I just feel like the whole line did a very good job from a protection standpoint.

How did Chad Brown and Arnold Harrison play?

They did well. For the amount of time that Chad had to prepare for the game, he was in here late and most of the day leading up to it and had his wristband all set. It was good to see him get some work in the dime and actually get some work late in the game, too in the first and second down. Arnold did fine. He played well. It will be a little different offense that we are going to face this week. This is another unique offense from a standpoint of having a player like Michael Vick. He just presents so many challenges for your defense. It is going to be a big challenge.

Has Atlanta been using college plays to take advantage of Michael Vick?

They have the option draw that you see in college all the time. I am going to have to start calling some college coaches about defending that thing. You are talking about the team that is number one, clearly ahead of everybody and are setting records rushing the football, and he is a part of that. It is not like he is the only one. Warrick Dunn looks like he hit the fountain of youth or whatever, but he is running hard and fast and then they bring up kids like (Jerious) Norwood who has unbelievable speed. When you talk about three guys that can run, Norwood, Dunn and Vick, they do a good job of presenting some different challenges to a defense in terms of testing the perimeter and reading some things with Michael, so we will have to be very disciplined to say the least.

Did the New York Giants do well defensively or did the Giants offense control the ball?

It was probably a combination of both of those. They did a good job against them. Tiki Barber is a good back and they made some plays on defense. They are a team that has put up some pretty impressive numbers, so it will be a challenge for us.

Can you blitz a guy like Michael Vick?

You want to mix up your approach. We played against them a few years ago at Heinz Field. He is a guy that you are not going to make a living doing it, but you certainly don't want to sit back because you are going to need some people to be able to fill some lanes. I think you have to be able to pick and choose and just try to keep him off balance as much as possible.

What is the number one thing a defensive player has to do against a quarterback like Michael Vick?

I think it all depends on where you play. I think in the secondary that you have to be careful that you don't come out of coverage too quickly because he still has an unbelievably strong arm and we talk about his scrambling at times. This is a guy that will scramble to run, but at the same time you cannot drop coverage. I think up front you are going to have to come under control. A lot of times you talk about quarterbacks where you don't worry about containing him because you don't care if he is out of the pocket, this is a guy that the pressure lanes will be very important and at the same time, I think the biggest thing as defensive players, you can't get frustrated. You may have the most perfectly designed defense and everybody does their job but he is going to make some plays. The biggest thing is to minimize the big plays that he makes, stay patient and hopefully somewhere along the line we will make a play.

Can you try to simulate what Vick does in practice?

Me personally? No. I just think that there will be plays that last longer. We're going to have to be patient with a lot of the bootlegs that they do and his improvising that takes place in games. I don't know if there is anybody in the league who can truly imitate him in practice, particularly with the speed at which they play.

Do the players have to just stay where they are?

There's a fine line between being too cautious as opposed to just going in there, you still want to play fast and be decisive but you have to be very cognizant of where you are, and very disciplined. The run game takes place with a guy like Michael even when a pass looks like it's unfolding. You have to apply the same principles of making sure you're balanced across the field and that you're discipline in your rush.

Can you take anything from the 2002 game?

You can look at some things but it's a whole different staff. They take a whole different approach to the game. The only thing you can refer to with the players that were here, is understanding the speed with which this guy can play the game.

Will Vick be faster playing on turf instead of the sandy field at Heinz Field?

Yeah, it speeds it up for him, but with a field, I always feel that everybody is playing on the same field, speed is all relative. A fast guy on a sandy field is still faster than a slow guy. Speed is all relative. That football team plays well in that dome. He'll give us challenges that he'll present to our defense, but on the other side of the ball, they have a fast defense. That will be the biggest challenge playing in the dome because you've got two guys coming off the edge in (Patrick) Kerney and (John) Abraham that are speed rushers. They can present issues for you.

Do you have concerns about starting Arnold Harrison?

It is what it is. You can be concerned all you want but that's the way we're going in. The fact that Arnold has a game under his belt last week will be a good thing. Any apprehensions he may have had going into the game should be removed. We'll get a good week of work and try to get a good plan together, and try to slow down their rushing offense.

Will the adjustments you have to make be greater because of Vick's unique abilities?

Oh yeah, it's a totally unique thing. Guys in that division do it twice a year but you don't see the option-draw, that's what I call it, where he puts the ball in the hands of Warrick Dunn and reads people. Those are the kinds of things you see in college. You enjoy watching that on Saturday afternoon and think, 'Boy, I'm glad I don't have to defend that.' Now I have to defend that. It is very unique. When you play a player like this, it's different from what we've faced the last couple of weeks. There are scrambling quarterbacks but Michael takes that to another level.

What do you remember most about the '02 game? Was it fun to coach?

I enjoyed the first half because we were ahead. I remember it was a game that they came back. I remember, near the end in the overtime as the clock was winding down, I was looking at Dan Reeves. It was a fourth-and-two play. I think he thought I was going to call a time out. I had no intension of calling time out. I wanted to make him think that I was thinking about it. I was looking at him and he was looking at me. I was just hoping the clock would keep winding and winding. They tried a field goal and didn't make it. I think we threw a Hail Mary to Plax(ico Burress). When he landed I was wishing that he was 6-7, instead of 6-5. He fell about two feet short of the goal line. I do remember that game very vividly. We did a good job in the first half of that game but in the second half (Vick) ran around and made some plays. That's my memory of the game. I remember when it ended, getting out of there with a tie at the time, I felt pretty good about it.

What is it that Vick reads on the option-draw?

You should ask him that question when you get a chance to talk to him tomorrow in the conference calls. I don't know. I think I know but to discuss that here would serve very little purpose for everyone involved in this game, outside of your own interest. We can discuss that walking through the halls someday. I don't think I'd like to disclose that at this time. I don't think it's a hidden secret. Ask Michael. If he tells you, let me know please.

Did you feel some relief on the sideline as the Chiefs game unfolded?

No, my first thought was that if we had a couple of those plays in the two previous weeks we could have had different results. It just seemed like everything we called, we were hitting on. We got off the field on that first series on third down, got a couple good punt returns from Santonio (Holmes) in the punt return game. It was good to see. At the same time, I've seen too many crazy things happen in this league, not withstanding last night's game if anyone watched that. If you wonder why we kicked a field goal at the end of the first half, I've seen things happen. You have to keep playing and put points on the board. When you get into the second half of games our approach with a lead is something that we believe in. In the first half you can't score enough points.

Why were guys slipping?

It's just that time of day, when the sun went down there was a natural drop in temperature. It didn't have anything to do with the field, as much as it was the time of day.

Would you like to see artificial turf here in Pittsburgh?

I would never like to see artificial turf. I'm very happy with what we have. It may be a little unsettling for some of the players but for the health of the players, it's the right thing to do.

Having played two good TEs, does that make it easier to face Alge Crumpler?

(Crumpler) is without a doubt their No. 1 passing threat and he's good. This whole offense is very unique because of what Michael presents as a quarterback. Alge's a guy that can block, runs with the ball, he's a big target. He's a guy that we have to be conscious of, no doubt.

Is Simmons questionable because of the ice burn or because of the injury he was treating?

It's the burn.

Does the skin have to grow back?

Yeah, and him being a diabetic, you have to be very careful with that. That lead to some of the things that took place. The skin is a little more sensitive. We have to be careful because you have a higher risk of infection with burns of that nature, in the state that Kendall's at. We're being sensitive with that.

How has Vick developed as a passer?

I think he's fine. You can break down everybody. What he does and what he presents are so unique to the game that people look for flaws in his passing. We all have flaws. If you want to compare it to his running, I think that's a hard standard to live up to.

How has Michael Vick developed as a passer and a reader of defenses?

The guy has an unbelievably strong arm and is accurate. I'm not one to assess, his offensive coaches can assess his play, but when you sit there and look at him on film, this guy is a nightmare to have to defend. I have a lot of respect for him.

Does he compare to anyone you coached against?

He's the Michael Vick of 2002. He's a special player.

Are strong defensive teams making a comeback?

It's hard to say. I don't know about those trends. You'd have to look at them at the end of the season because sometimes those things have a way of evening out. It's hard to say. It would be pure speculation on my part, I'm just looking at our games. I haven't seen that being the case. Maybe because of injuries or the offensive players haven't been able to get in sync. It takes a while, maybe a little bit longer for some elements of the game to come together. It's pure speculation on my part.

What did you like about Najeh Davenport to sign him and what do you like about him now?

He's a big guy who runs big if you watch him and his body lean. I remember watching him when he was at Green Bay and I thought he had good feet for a big guy and good balance and he runs strong. He has very good body lean. You'll see that in practice too. He's a low runner and he can break tackles. I thought he did a very good job the other day running and even in some of the goal-line stands that we had.

Who's considered the back-up fullback?

Verron Haynes.

Can Najeh Davenport play there?

We haven't (given him) repetitions there. No.

Will you play Chad Brown on first and second downs?

We'll see how it's going. Arnold (Harrison) has done a good job. Certainly I think it was good to get him some reps the other day. He'll be the next guy in line. It was good. I think a lot of it came back to him and it was good to see him get in there at the end of the game and getting some reps. I think he will be a lot better with a full week of work. We'll see how it goes.

Why is DeAngelo Hall successful?

He has great ball skills. They do put him with the top receivers. Jason Webster, the other corner is a great player too. Their secondary has two good corners. Lawyer Malloy quarterbacks that secondary. DeAngelo is a very good football player. He has great speed and great ball skills. Certainly, we know what he can do when he gets the ball in his hands. He's one of the top corners in the league without a doubt.

Will they match him up or play him on a side?

They've done it both ways. I've seen them go side-to-side week-to-week. It depends on how they view our football team. We'll see how it unfolds.