Chip Kelly’s weekly Tuesday press conference is usually his most extensive interview session, aside from after the games themselves. Aside from the occasional awkward pauses between questions (particularly when they hit the phone lines), it’s a 20 minute period that can be enlightening. We transcribed some of the highlights from yesterday:
On Cliff Harris and where he’s at in the information gathering process:
I haven’t finished anything. He’s suspended until we get more information on the situation.
On what type of information he’s looking to obtain:
Everything. I want to know the whole deal.
On Washington State:
Offensively I think they’re much improved. They’re running the ball better than they have last year. They’ve obviously played two quarterbacks and I was really impressed with Jeff Tuel last year, obviously went down early but Marshall Lobbestael has done a really, really good job of coming in for him. They’ve got three outstanding receivers in (Marquess) Wilson, (Jared) Karstetter and (Isiah) Barton, throwing the ball all over the place. I think they’re an improved football team, they’ve lost a couple close games recently, but defensively three solid linebackers, a real good corp of linebackers…physical defense. They’re playing good football right now. I think Paul (Wulff) has done a really nice job of taking over a tough situation up there.
On the team’s depth and what contributes to it: 
I really think it’s a combination. Obviously we’ve had some success, but I think the big thing in recruiting is finding guys that fit your system. It’s not what the recruiting services say is a good player or a bad player, you know from a star system and all that. We don’t get caught up in that…I think the one thing kids know when they come here is if you merit playing time, you’re going to play. We’re not caught up in that we’re only going to play eleven guys on defense and eleven guys on offense. We play at a certain tempo and pace on both sides of the ball that warrants us to play a lot of guys.
On Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas since LaMichael James’ injury:
I think it’s been more, obviously, Kenjon. He’s been the guy that’s stepped up a little bit for us. It’s what we expect. I’ve always said that I felt that Kenjon could start at a lot of schools in this country. He’s one of the more talented running backs in the nation, and we’re fortunate to have both him and LaMichael. And I think De’Anthony has spotted in certain situations at the running back spot, and then at the slot…it just speaks for our depth. I’ve always felt, and I think our staff has always felt, that we’ve had two quality running backs that are right up there with the top running backs in the country. It was very ironic, I think LaMichael was averaging 170 point-something yards a game, and then Kenjon first came in and he runs for 171. Can you fill his shoes? I think he filled his shows by a half a yard more. But it’s what we expected as a staff…those guys have been a great one-two punch for the last…we’re in year three of those guys together.
On two-quarterback systems:
I’ve never been a two-quarterback guy. I think if you play two quarterbacks, then you have no quarterback. That’s the one position we don’t rotate on, and since I’ve been here it was Dennis (Dixon) in 2007, we settled on Jeremiah, and then we settled last year when it was a big battle between Nate (Costa) and Darron (Thomas). But I think at that position, you’ve gotta have one. It’s different than the other positions where you rotate it.
On depth in the secondary without Harris: 
Avery (Patterson) is playing safety for us right now, actually started for us against Colorado. We were four-deep at corner, and all of those guys have played. And Cliff hasn’t played a whole heck of a lot, anyways. Dior (Mathis) is the fifth, and got some extensive playing time in the Colorado game, and I know we wouldn’t hesitate to put Dior in there if we were to go five-deep.
It’s an ongoing battle on a weekly basis with all of those guys, and I think they thrive on that competition part of it. I thought T-Mitch (Terrance Mitchell) did a really nice job coming in in nickel (package), and we’ll see how that works itself out again this week. You’ve gotta face a team that throws the ball a little bit more than Colorado so we’re going to have to rely on all four of those corners.
On Washington State defensively:
They’re physical and a 4-3 team, and the three linebackers kind of set the tone for them in (C.J.) Mizell, (Sekope) Kaufusi and (Alex) Hoffman-Ellis. Real tough, hard-nosed guys, they like to bring those guys to bring a fifth rusher, they play a lot of man in the secondary, and then obviously I still think their four d-lineman, Travis Long and that group right there, could present some problems too. Well-coached defense that really is playing tough, physical football, which will give them a shot every week.