Five Downs with Coach Polites

This week, the 6-3 Bears welcome the 6-3 Lebanon Cedars to round out the regular season. E-town is in good shape for the playoffs and should be in win or lose, but can cement their place and possibly improve their seeding with a win. I caught up with head coach Jeff Polites about tonight's regular season finale.

First Down: How are you guys injury-wise?
Coach Polites: We have 3 of the 5 that were out last week. We should be totally healthy for the first round of the playoffs.

Second Down: You've faced several good passing teams all year, but how is Lebanon different from them?
Coach Polites: Lebanon runs a similar offense to most of the teams in the league. They seem to get a lot more offensive plays than the others.

Third Down: How do you plan to contain quarterback James Capello's ability to beat you with his arm and his legs? (Note: Capello has more than 2,200 passing yards and 800 rushing yards).
Coach Polites: We must keep him in the pocket with the DE's and pressure him up the middle with the tackles and LBs.

Fourth Down: Is the running game and chewing time of the clock even more important this week with the caliber of Lebanon's offense?
Coach Polites: That is our plan every week and it is very important this week.

Fifth Down: You could still get into the playoffs with a win or a loss tonight, but how important is it to the players to win and control their own destiny?
Coach Polites: We should be in no matter the result tonight. We are looking for a 7-3 regular season record. That will be our main focus tonight.