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Opening statement**: "A good couple of days of work against the Cowboys. I think that helped our football team a lot. It was a competitive environment. I think anytime you get an opportunity to get in a competitive environment against a good football team, it makes your team better. We got in a lot of good work. We'll head back to Alameda and start getting ready for Detroit tomorrow."
Q: Are there any updates on Nick Kasa?
Coach Allen: "[Nick] Kasa, the preliminary reports are an ACL, which if that was the case, it would probably mean that he would be done for the year."
Q: In terms of body, it seems like you're running out of tight ends.
Coach Allen: "Yeah, that's obviously something that we have to consider, and we have to look at and see if there is somebody that we can add to the roster."
Q: Is there a clearer picture on David Ausberry?
Coach Allen: "Not really. He is moving around, which is a good sign, but exactly what that timeline is, I have no idea yet."
Q: It seems like Denarius Moore had a couple of good days in a row and was building some positive momentum.
Coach Allen: "Really, I think he has improved a lot throughout training camp. It was good to see him come out and compete and make some plays, again, in a competitive environment. So, he continues to get better."
Q: How do you think the offense did over these couple of days? Do you think it's something you can build on for Friday's preseason game?
Coach Allen: "Yeah, there's no question. I thought there were some positives in going against those guys. I spent a lot of time on the defensive field today. So, I'll get back and look at the tape and really evaluate how we did on both sides of the ball. Again, I know looking at the tape last night, there were a lot of positives."
Q: Are you going to do this with these guys next year up in Napa?
Coach Allen: "I don't know if that's 100 percent determined. I think there have been some preliminary discussions and we'd like to be able to do it, but again, it's probably too early to say for sure."
Q: But there is a tremendous benefit from practicing with another team?
Coach Allen: "Absolutely. I like doing this. I think it does nothing but help your football team."
Q: Do you feel like these kind of practices maybe lit a little fire under your team?
Coach Allen: "Again, any time you get in these competitive environments, I think it increases the sense of urgency of your football team. I thought we got better over these last couple of days."
Q: How much different is this season for you than the previous two years?
Coach Allen: "Every season is a different season. We've got to just continue to work and continue to get better as a football team. I think we've done that throughout training camp. We'll get another opportunity in a preseason game to go out and compete against Detroit."
Q: What specific signs have you seen from this team that you guys are going in a positive direction?
Coach Allen: "I've said this before, but I like direction our run game is headed. We've still got some improvement that we have to make in the passing game. I think that comes with time. There are a lot of new pieces in that particular element of our offense. I think defensively, I've been impressed with our ability to rush the passer. Those are some signs that I've seen where this team is getting better."
Q: Juron Criner didn't practice today …
Coach Allen: "I think Criner had a groin injury or a hip, so he wasn't able to go. He tried to go out here through individual [drills] and wasn't able to go."
Q: Is Derek Carr about where you want him to be at this stage?
Coach Allen: "I like where Derek is at. He's a rookie continuing to come out here and trying to get better. I think the more reps he gets, the better he is going to get."
Q: I know you said you were on the other field, but he seemed to look very comfortable in the red zone.
Coach Allen: "Yeah, he's got good poise for a young player. That's exciting to see. His deal is not really worrying too much about looking into the future and just worry about what he is doing on a daily basis."
Q: Is this job as hard as you thought it would be when you took over?
Coach Allen: "I think they're all hard. The National Football League is tough, and they're all tough jobs. So, we just have to continue to work to get this team to where it needs to be, and we're headed in that direction."
