OPENING STATEMENT: “On the injury front, we should be relatively healthy. We’ve got four guys who are going to be limited who hadn’t been practicing, so we’ll have to see how much they can do and will do, [Glenn] Dorsey being one of them, [Peyton] Hillis being the other one, ![]()
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ADAM TEICHER (KC STAR): Is this quarterback change for this week or for the rest of the season?
CRENNEL: “What I want him to be is, I want him to be the starting quarterback without having to look over his shoulder, so there is going to be no quick hook or anything like that.”
TEICHER: Was this a tough decision?
CRENNEL: “Well, I think any decision that you make, none of them are relatively easy. There all tough because of the situation we’re in, and it’s not all his fault. He had a lot of help in where we are. Like I just mentioned, we’re all in it, and we all have to tighten up our belts and do a better job.”
DAVE SKRETTA (AP): When did you let the guys know?
CRENNEL: “I let the guys know at 12:30. That’s when I let them know. I talked to both quarterbacks this morning.”
BOB GRETZ (BOBGRETZ.COM): Was this an obvious move for you?
CRENNEL: “Not really because when you think about changing the dynamic like I mentioned, what position can change the dynamic the most? And that’s the quarterback position. I decided that was the move I wanted to make to try to change the team and impact the team because this first part that we’ve been through, we’ve been playing hard, but we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot. Like I say, we’ve been spinning the wheels, so we need to do something to try to change that to try to keep the wheels from spinning to try to get on some solid ground so we can get some traction to be able to do something with this team.”
TOM CHRISTIANSEN (41 Action News): Do you feel like the team lost confidence in Matt?
CRENNEL: “No, I don’t think the team has lost confidence in Matt. It was just one of those things, a circumstance that we’re in. You have to decide what you want to do to try to change it, so I decided to change the quarterback.”
DANNY CLINKSCALE (SPORTS RADIO 810): Besides the change up aspect, what does Brady bring to the table?
CRENNEL: “As I mentioned, I thought he showed poise in the Tampa game. I thought he managed the offense well there. As I mentioned also, he was a little rusty, but I think with playing time, practice time, I anticipate for him to be better and be able to lead this team.”
JOHNNY KANE (KMBC): How did Brady take the news?
CRENNEL: “He took it like a pro. He sat there pretty much straight-faced, but I felt some excitement emanating from it that here’s an opportunity for him. He’s going to try to make the best of it.”
JOSH KLINGLER (610 SPORTS RADIO): Any other positions that you’ve looked at to make the change?
CRENNEL: “Not the same impact. There is nobody that would have that impact other than the quarterback. That impacts the whole team, so you look at it and you decide what you’re going to do and go forward with it.”
GRETZ: The only other place you could make a change is on your staff. Did you think about that at all?
CRENNEL: “No. I did not. I just thought the quarterback position was the one I needed to change.”
CLINKSCALE: What changed in the two weeks since saying you wouldn’t have pulled Matt before he got hurt against the Ravens?
CRENNEL: “First of all, there was no bye week so we couldn’t sit back and evaluate our total situation at that time. You just go week to week in the NFL a lot of times, so after sitting back and evaluating and having time to do that, I decided that I was changing the quarterback.”
TEICHER: Did you think about long-term impacts from changing the quarterback?
CRENNEL: “No, I didn’t think about the future. The only future that I thought about was this coming Sunday.”