9-16-09
On getting reps with the ones:
“It felt great. That’s the first time in a long time I’ve gotten to do that. I did it once last year, but just the thought of coming back tomorrow and getting more comfortable with everybody, it’s a good feeling. You get to run the huddle the way you want to and, all of those things that have been running through my head for two years, trying not to change too much because you want the same continuity, but you want put your own little twist on things. We’re looking forward to it. It was a great feeling.”
On adding his own twists to the offense:
“Just tempo and using the cadence a certain way, the guys getting used to the way that you call plays—maybe it’s faster or slower—everything is different. The guys did a great job of receiving it today as far as it probably being a little bit different and that’s just a tribute to the type of guys we have and the type of guys [head coach] Andy [Reid] always brings in.”
On whether cadence will be the biggest factor in regard to the offensive line adjusting to him as a quarterback:
“Yeah, I mean obviously as you guy know it’s an issue already because we’ve had so many false starts in the preseason and this last game. So without me being thrown in the fire it was still an issue and obviously it increases whenever I come in there. That’s a point of emphasis this week. We’ll get it hashed out though, it won’t be a problem and we’ll be at home so noise probably won’t be a problem, and we can get rolling and keep those drives going.”
On getting his game sharp this week:
“You try to duplicate it in the scout team but it’s hard because you aren’t getting a chance to set your feet a lot of the times with the defensive line rush. But you’d be surprised at how fast it comes back. It’s just like second nature. Luckily this happened when it wasn’t too far away from training camp so it was still fresh in my mind. If this comes in week ten, week eleven it might be midway through Thursday till I feel comfortable. But today I felt really comfortable, never thought about my feet, didn’t have to give it an extra thought, that’s what you want. You want to just focus on the defense and obviously reading it out and making the play.”
On whether he is worried that this game will define his career up to this point:
“No not at all. That’s just the situation I’m dealt. I’ve gotten opportunities and haven’t done the best job with them. No excuses. If I’d come out and had five touchdowns and zero interceptions and zero fumbles this wouldn’t be an issue. But, because I haven’t had much success it’s totally fair and I look forward to the challenge.”
On whether he thinks their defense will blitz a lot:
“I would assume that. They’ve done that to us in the past and they did that last week against [Lions QB] Matthew Stafford. I’m sure they’ll treat me pretty much the same as him because I haven’t had a lot of experience. We assume I’ll get a lot of pressure and get the ball out quick. We have plenty of playmakers out there that can make plays one on one, so we look forward to that challenge.”
On whether the talent on this team makes him more comfortable in feeling that he doesn’t have to do it all by himself:
“Absolutely, I think I told you guys before that that was one of the problems with Baltimore last year, not to bring it up again. I just pressed too much, tried to show everybody right now, hey I’m ready. You just press and you can’t press as a quarterback. In the forefront of my mind is just relax, play smooth, let the guys that are out there make the plays and like you said we have plenty of athletes to do it.”
On the off the field part of his job being different for him this week:
“Somewhat. Film study, we do a lot anyways so it’s not that much different. This media part is obviously increased a little bit. Besides that, when I go home I do my best to block it out, same routine. Since I’ve been here I’ve heard [head coach] Andy [Reid] talk about it and some other guys [say] going to the Super Bowl and when things get rough, watch how guys start to change things. So, I’ve really thought about that and I said ‘okay if I ever get in that situation I’m just going to keep everything the same, never change anything’ because that’s what your body is used to, that’s what your guys are used to. That’s what I’m going to try to do this week. Just keep it the same, make sure I prepare plenty, which I have and I will, and we’ll be ready to rock.”
On whether he is leaning on QB Jeff Garcia and QB Michael Vick leading up to this game:
“I’ve leaned on them a lot already. Jeff and I have talked just in the short time that he has been here quite a bit. That’s amazing really. [Quarterbacks Coach] James [Urban] and I were talking about that last night, the 12 Pro Bowls with those three guys [including McNabb] and you just never think you’re going to be in the same room with all three of them. So, that’s a blessing and I’m glad I’m the guy that’s in there.”
On whether he thought he would get his chance to play in Philadelphia:
“I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t really think too far into the future, think too far in the past, I try to live in the here and now. I didn’t set those plans because if you set those plans, especially in this league, they are going to change on you. I’m just rolling with the punches. I’m glad if it happens. I’m glad if I get to start, I’m glad to be there and I look forward to leading our team to victory. If it would have been my rookie year, if it’s this year, whatever, I’m just glad it’s finally here and I’m getting a shot.”
On what he thinks about the team signing QB [Jeff] Garcia:
“We had to have a backup. We had to have a guy that was experienced in this offense. [QB] A.J. [Feeley] went to Carolina, Jeff [was] still out there, so they brought Jeff in. That’s the way I looked at it.”
On the advice that he has received from the veteran quarterbacks:
“Jeff, he’s good about, like I talked about before, tempo, how to run a huddle. Jeff has all the intangibles and when you are stepping in behind a guy like [QB] Donovan [McNabb] you have to have all of those intangibles. Donovan has always helped me out with you guys and helped me out with the team and just the way he sees it. He never forces his opinion on anybody. He just kind of says, ‘hey look, this is the way I look at it. Do what you feel comfortable [doing].’ And [QB Michael] Vick is kind of a laid back guy. He just kind of says, ‘hey don’t let it get to you, just keep rolling with it.’ They all have their own little piece of advice.”
On what New Orleans does defensively:
“Well they run a lot of Cover 2, when they bring a blitz they leave their corners on islands and some other guys in some man situations, which we like, but they do a good job of – their stuff isn’t extremely difficult or extremely complex it’s just what they do, they do great. They play fast and I’m going to have to get the ball out quick. Like I said, they are going to bring some blitzes on us. I’m sure they are going to bring some we haven’t seen, we’ll just adjust and let our guys go make some plays and hopefully put a lot of points on the board because we know we’re going to have to.
On whether he has prepared himself for the impatient Philly fans:
“Yeah definitely, and I think Andy said it best the other day. ‘You’d be surprised how much you don’t hear when you are on the field.’ The preseason game I got booed and I didn’t even know it. My dad told me after the game and I was like, ‘wow.’ That’s just the way it goes and you do have to prepare yourself for that some but I’ve done that and hopefully I’ll [start] 2-for-2 [completing passes] and they’ll be the other way.”
On what running the huddle entails:
“[You] definitely [have to] inject your personality. Everybody does it a little bit differently. Some guys want the relaxed mode. They want everybody to feel calm. I’m the kind of guy who – I want to get the play in and boom get the huddle sharp, get it called and let’s run it to the line and let’s get set because I want the defense thinking and not reacting. That’s why I like shifts and motions and those style of things because I want them out of their comfort zone. Like I said before, the Saints are very good at staying in their comfort zone and playing fast. You get those guys thinking and not reacting and all of a sudden things slow down a little bit on their side of the ball and we get a big play.”
On what has caused the number of sacks that he’s taken in the past:
“Probably the one against Detroit was me not just having that clock in my head and I can’t really remember those too well. The other day when [Carolina DE] Julius [Peppers] got me, I should have just kept running and gotten out [of bounds]. I tried to turn back and make a play in the ball and didn’t feel him. Hopefully the more comfortable you get the more you’ll feel guys like that in your peripherals. [It was] just a bad play on my part. The other one they kind of gloved us a little bit. They had it covered pretty well and [in a] fourth down situation you just have to get the ball out. Both of them were my fault, no doubt about it, but I’ll fix that and we are working on that right now. We’ll take the least amount of sacks as possible because we know how that kills a drive.”
On how this compares to his first college start:
“It’s funny you say that because I think back to that. To be honest, I was a lot more nervous in that college start because I came in there right away and I was a freshman. But, you can learn off of things like that. I remember when I came in I did the same thing, I didn’t try to make a big play and we had a lot of athletes then, and I got a couple of completions and all of a sudden the game started to slow down for me. So, I’ll look to that as comfort when I get out there, just like a golf shot, you don’t go out there and hit your driver the first time, you hit the pitching wedge and get comfortable and then work your way through the bag.”
On whom his first college start was against:
“Rice.”
viernes, 18 de septiembre de 2009
WEEK 2 - Bengals Quarterback Carson Palmer -Ingles
Sept. 16, 2009
You mentioned on Sunday that they played that deep cover-2. What percentage of the time do those defenses play that coverage against you?
“Quite a bit. It’s a coverage we’re used to seeing with Chad (Ochocinco). It’s a coverage that Larry Fitzgerald, Chad (Ochocinco), T.O. and Calvin Johnson see typically a good majority of the time.”
In that coverage, you probably want to hit the underneath stuff and have those safeties come up, right?
“In a perfect world, you just run the ball at that side. But the defense also understands that it’s a weakness of the defense, too. They try to do different stunts and schemes to try to slow you down that way. The best thing to do is, if you’re not running the ball, to get the ball to other guys to make them come out of a double coverage situation to worry about other offensive players. If it’s your tight end, your slot receiver, your strong-side receiver, try to get the ball and spread the ball around a little bit more and make them play a little more true to the rest of the receivers and not so much focus the defense around Chad (Ochocinco)”.
You guys ran the ball a lot in the first half and were pretty successful, but you didn’t run the ball as much in the second half. Did Denver make a halftime adjustment?
“We were successful running the ball, and we tried to do it in the second half, and they made some really good adjustments to slow us down. I’m not sure exactly what the numbers statistically were run to pass, pass to run, but we just weren’t getting the same bigger hits in the run game that we were in the first half. A six- or eight-yard run here. They were more two, three, four-yard runs. We just weren’t as successful. We weren’t executing as well as were in the first half.”
There has been a theme since the beginning of the season where you guys can move the ball between the 20s, then can’t finish. Is it a mental block? How do you rectify that?
“It’s been a number of things. A turnover, a penalty, a sack. We really don’t look at it as something that’s been happening since the preseason, because so many guys were playing in the preseason. We’re going to look at it as Week 1, that’s what we struggled to do. We have to do better than we did in Week 1. I wouldn’t start calling it a trend or anything like that, because there were so many different players and so many different circumstances that went on in the preseason. I just think it’s something we struggled with this last week, and it’s something we’ve already started working on this week in our walk-throughs and we need to get it corrected. We will. We’ll keep working on it until we do.”
Is this a must-win game?
“Everybody talks about must-wins. Every game is a must-win when it comes down to it. At some point in the year, if you don’t make the playoffs or if you don’t have home-field advantage in the playoffs or you don’t win the Super Bowl, you look back at one game, or two games, or three games, or four games and say, ‘We should have won that game.’ In the grand scheme of things, we’re not looking at statistics as far as how many teams have made the playoffs, or won a playoff game starting with a season record. We look at it as we have to win every week. After this week, it’s Pittsburgh, and we’ll move on throughout the season. The game we must win is Green Bay, and the only reason we must win is because it’s the next game.”
How is this Green Bay defense different from years past with the 3-4?
“They’re very good. I haven’t played them in a couple years, other than the preseason, but very, very good. They have two of the better corners in the league, one of the best tandems. They don’t get the credit they deserve because everybody says they’re getting up there in years. But I’ve felt for a long time that Al Harris, if not the best corner in the league, is the second-best corner in the league. He’s extremely fast and quick, and he comes up and hits people. He’s tough. Charles Woodson, for a long time, has been an outstanding corner. They also have a very good linebacker corps – they have some high picks in that linebacker corps – and up front, they have two very good d-tackles and a top-10 pick that’s backing both of them up. He (draft pick B.J. Raji) is having a hard time seeing the field because the two guys in front of him are so good.”
Why have the Packers been so good at getting turnovers? What do you have to look out for against them?
“They've had picks from confusing quarterbacks, from making quarterbacks force throws. They've created turnovers by hitting people hard and knocking the ball loose. They've broken up a lot of balls in the passing game. They've done a number of things. It's a really good unit. You've got to be on your game. You've got to see what's coming at you. They bring a lot of corner pressures, a number of different blitz zones, and do a really good job of disguising. So you've got to be on your A-game and recognize things as they're happening and make sure your eyes are on the right spots before the snap and after the snap to confirm what you've got coming at you and make sure the ball's going in the right place.”
Is their defense similar to Pittsburgh?
“It's similar. No two teams are alike, just because they run similar running plays or similar pressures. The personnel's so different and the coordinators are different. It's similar stuff that Pittsburgh's done. But like Pittsburgh, it's a very good unit top to bottom.”
You liked playing in Dallas because of the tradition there. Is Lambeau Field like that too?
“Definitely. I've played at Lambeau once, so it won't be my first time. It's exciting. It IS the NFL. When you think of the Green Bay Packers, they're one of the teams that have been around forever and won a ton of championships. It's that same stadium; there's been some renovations and some changes, but it's that same stadium, which makes it cool, too. A lot of history has happened on that field. It's exciting. It's a great atmosphere for a game. It's very intimate. It's not real hostile, because it just seems like all the fans are really nice. But it's really loud. They understand football. Their football IQ is tremendous as far as when to be loud and how quiet they can get when the offense is on the field so the offense can communicate. So it's a fun place to play, and I'm looking forward to playing a regular season game there.”
Do you expect to see more of the deep cover-2 that Denver played this year?
“I have no idea how other teams are going to play us. The only way you can try to figure it out is to look at some things they did against you the previous years that were successful and guess. But you go into a game plan with what they've put on film, and we're looking at Chicago and their four preseason games. That's what Green Bay has played this year. So you can't really go into a game plan and know this is exactly what you're going to get, but we'll go in and we'll see what they're going to do and try to get a feel for it and try to make adjustments if we need to make adjustments and get to some (long passes) if we feel we have a good assessment of what we're getting and we can take some shots. If they're not going to let us take shots, we're not going to throw the ball downfield just to throw the ball downfield, because these safeties are very good. When the ball's in the air, they make a lot of plays. We've got to take what they give us and be really good up front and be able to run the ball and give us some opportunities to take some shots downfield.”
Since you missed the three preseason games, do you feel in regular season rhythm, or are you still in more of a training camp rhythm?
“I practiced most of training camp, and then we broke camp, and with the ankle issue I was out for a little bit going on three weeks. Now, with a regular season game under my belt, I'm excited and ready to play and feel like I've got my rhythm and timing going. I'm going to keep developing that this week with the receivers and tight ends and backs and keep moving forward.”
After looking at the tape what did you like, and dislike, about your performance?
“It's very easy to find a lot of things you don't like after a loss, but there's a number of areas we need to improve on. There's some good things that happened for me and a number of guys on our team, and there's some bad things that happened for me and for a number of guys on our team. We've spent a lot of time going through it and figuring those things out and making adjustments. We'll continue to get better as the season goes on. With a couple new guys, in game experiences, you find out guys' strengths and weaknesses, guys like Laveranues (Coles) and Cedric (Benson) being here for this whole year and Andre Caldwell coming along, we've got the two tight ends that are kind of switching in and out, some guys that are going to get better as the season goes on. You try to get better in the OTAs and the offseason, but once you get to the regular season, you really see strengths and weaknesses. You try to play to each other's strengths, and we'll continue to grow together and get better as the season goes along.”
The offensive line seemed to be giving you a lot of time ...
“Yeah, they've really set up nice pockets for us all through the preseason and this first week. They take a lot of pride in that. They take a lot of pride in keeping hits off the quarterback, and they've done a great job and will keep doing a great job. Whatever the injury situation is, with Nate (Livings) being banged up, and we've got different guys coming in and out, it's a group that has good leaders with Bobbie and Whit and Kyle coming along. Just a good group of guys that's going to get better as we go, just like the other positions. So it's exciting to know that they're very stout up front. They do a good job against bull-rushes, and we're athletic on the outside, which is a good combination to have.”
You ran a couple of rollouts against Denver. What do you like about that?
“I like it anytime you have a chance to get the ball downfield, and we did on both of those. There were some errors made on the plays, and we'll keep working on them and hang onto those and wait until we get better at them, because there were two mistakes that really shouldn't be made, but we'll continue to get better, like I keep saying. It's a group that doesn't have a lot of experience playing together, and the more you play together the better you get.”
What does the rollout do for you, and the offense?
“It just changes up where the quarterback's setup point is. You get a chance to get a little bit of a run action with some bite on the defense, and moving the hit point that the defense is setting up for quarterback sacks and getting pressure on the quarterbacks.”
In preseason, and against Denver, Brian Leonard took some short passes and turned them into long gains. How do you like having someone like that in the backfield with you?
“He's really special because in those two-minute situations and third-down situations, he can pick up anybody in the pass protection because he's a big, physical guy, but he has really good hands. He has surprisingly good hands. So it’s a good combination, being able to put him in there and pick up a 260-pound D-end or a big linebacker with a bull-rush, and then put him in with some screens because he can catch the ball and on check-downs. You're so confident that he'll catch the ball, and then you combine that with he's got some speed and moves. He's a big threat for us on third down.”
Does he have surprising speed?
“His speed's surprising, but he's real shifty. He's really good in the open field breaking tackles and making people miss, too.”
Do you buy into the notion that some teams just know how to win, and others don’t? And why is it that some teams seem to have wacky endings go against them? How do you change it?
“I'm not sure what you do to get over the hump, but it does seem that some teams get luckier breaks than others. Our break was definitely unlucky. You look at the Patriots' break with the fumble, it was lucky. But you just keep working, and that's the only thing I know is to keep working, keep trying to find ways to win.”
Is it luck?
“I don't know. I'm not very philosophical, so I'm not sure about that one.”
You mentioned on Sunday that they played that deep cover-2. What percentage of the time do those defenses play that coverage against you?
“Quite a bit. It’s a coverage we’re used to seeing with Chad (Ochocinco). It’s a coverage that Larry Fitzgerald, Chad (Ochocinco), T.O. and Calvin Johnson see typically a good majority of the time.”
In that coverage, you probably want to hit the underneath stuff and have those safeties come up, right?
“In a perfect world, you just run the ball at that side. But the defense also understands that it’s a weakness of the defense, too. They try to do different stunts and schemes to try to slow you down that way. The best thing to do is, if you’re not running the ball, to get the ball to other guys to make them come out of a double coverage situation to worry about other offensive players. If it’s your tight end, your slot receiver, your strong-side receiver, try to get the ball and spread the ball around a little bit more and make them play a little more true to the rest of the receivers and not so much focus the defense around Chad (Ochocinco)”.
You guys ran the ball a lot in the first half and were pretty successful, but you didn’t run the ball as much in the second half. Did Denver make a halftime adjustment?
“We were successful running the ball, and we tried to do it in the second half, and they made some really good adjustments to slow us down. I’m not sure exactly what the numbers statistically were run to pass, pass to run, but we just weren’t getting the same bigger hits in the run game that we were in the first half. A six- or eight-yard run here. They were more two, three, four-yard runs. We just weren’t as successful. We weren’t executing as well as were in the first half.”
There has been a theme since the beginning of the season where you guys can move the ball between the 20s, then can’t finish. Is it a mental block? How do you rectify that?
“It’s been a number of things. A turnover, a penalty, a sack. We really don’t look at it as something that’s been happening since the preseason, because so many guys were playing in the preseason. We’re going to look at it as Week 1, that’s what we struggled to do. We have to do better than we did in Week 1. I wouldn’t start calling it a trend or anything like that, because there were so many different players and so many different circumstances that went on in the preseason. I just think it’s something we struggled with this last week, and it’s something we’ve already started working on this week in our walk-throughs and we need to get it corrected. We will. We’ll keep working on it until we do.”
Is this a must-win game?
“Everybody talks about must-wins. Every game is a must-win when it comes down to it. At some point in the year, if you don’t make the playoffs or if you don’t have home-field advantage in the playoffs or you don’t win the Super Bowl, you look back at one game, or two games, or three games, or four games and say, ‘We should have won that game.’ In the grand scheme of things, we’re not looking at statistics as far as how many teams have made the playoffs, or won a playoff game starting with a season record. We look at it as we have to win every week. After this week, it’s Pittsburgh, and we’ll move on throughout the season. The game we must win is Green Bay, and the only reason we must win is because it’s the next game.”
How is this Green Bay defense different from years past with the 3-4?
“They’re very good. I haven’t played them in a couple years, other than the preseason, but very, very good. They have two of the better corners in the league, one of the best tandems. They don’t get the credit they deserve because everybody says they’re getting up there in years. But I’ve felt for a long time that Al Harris, if not the best corner in the league, is the second-best corner in the league. He’s extremely fast and quick, and he comes up and hits people. He’s tough. Charles Woodson, for a long time, has been an outstanding corner. They also have a very good linebacker corps – they have some high picks in that linebacker corps – and up front, they have two very good d-tackles and a top-10 pick that’s backing both of them up. He (draft pick B.J. Raji) is having a hard time seeing the field because the two guys in front of him are so good.”
Why have the Packers been so good at getting turnovers? What do you have to look out for against them?
“They've had picks from confusing quarterbacks, from making quarterbacks force throws. They've created turnovers by hitting people hard and knocking the ball loose. They've broken up a lot of balls in the passing game. They've done a number of things. It's a really good unit. You've got to be on your game. You've got to see what's coming at you. They bring a lot of corner pressures, a number of different blitz zones, and do a really good job of disguising. So you've got to be on your A-game and recognize things as they're happening and make sure your eyes are on the right spots before the snap and after the snap to confirm what you've got coming at you and make sure the ball's going in the right place.”
Is their defense similar to Pittsburgh?
“It's similar. No two teams are alike, just because they run similar running plays or similar pressures. The personnel's so different and the coordinators are different. It's similar stuff that Pittsburgh's done. But like Pittsburgh, it's a very good unit top to bottom.”
You liked playing in Dallas because of the tradition there. Is Lambeau Field like that too?
“Definitely. I've played at Lambeau once, so it won't be my first time. It's exciting. It IS the NFL. When you think of the Green Bay Packers, they're one of the teams that have been around forever and won a ton of championships. It's that same stadium; there's been some renovations and some changes, but it's that same stadium, which makes it cool, too. A lot of history has happened on that field. It's exciting. It's a great atmosphere for a game. It's very intimate. It's not real hostile, because it just seems like all the fans are really nice. But it's really loud. They understand football. Their football IQ is tremendous as far as when to be loud and how quiet they can get when the offense is on the field so the offense can communicate. So it's a fun place to play, and I'm looking forward to playing a regular season game there.”
Do you expect to see more of the deep cover-2 that Denver played this year?
“I have no idea how other teams are going to play us. The only way you can try to figure it out is to look at some things they did against you the previous years that were successful and guess. But you go into a game plan with what they've put on film, and we're looking at Chicago and their four preseason games. That's what Green Bay has played this year. So you can't really go into a game plan and know this is exactly what you're going to get, but we'll go in and we'll see what they're going to do and try to get a feel for it and try to make adjustments if we need to make adjustments and get to some (long passes) if we feel we have a good assessment of what we're getting and we can take some shots. If they're not going to let us take shots, we're not going to throw the ball downfield just to throw the ball downfield, because these safeties are very good. When the ball's in the air, they make a lot of plays. We've got to take what they give us and be really good up front and be able to run the ball and give us some opportunities to take some shots downfield.”
Since you missed the three preseason games, do you feel in regular season rhythm, or are you still in more of a training camp rhythm?
“I practiced most of training camp, and then we broke camp, and with the ankle issue I was out for a little bit going on three weeks. Now, with a regular season game under my belt, I'm excited and ready to play and feel like I've got my rhythm and timing going. I'm going to keep developing that this week with the receivers and tight ends and backs and keep moving forward.”
After looking at the tape what did you like, and dislike, about your performance?
“It's very easy to find a lot of things you don't like after a loss, but there's a number of areas we need to improve on. There's some good things that happened for me and a number of guys on our team, and there's some bad things that happened for me and for a number of guys on our team. We've spent a lot of time going through it and figuring those things out and making adjustments. We'll continue to get better as the season goes on. With a couple new guys, in game experiences, you find out guys' strengths and weaknesses, guys like Laveranues (Coles) and Cedric (Benson) being here for this whole year and Andre Caldwell coming along, we've got the two tight ends that are kind of switching in and out, some guys that are going to get better as the season goes on. You try to get better in the OTAs and the offseason, but once you get to the regular season, you really see strengths and weaknesses. You try to play to each other's strengths, and we'll continue to grow together and get better as the season goes along.”
The offensive line seemed to be giving you a lot of time ...
“Yeah, they've really set up nice pockets for us all through the preseason and this first week. They take a lot of pride in that. They take a lot of pride in keeping hits off the quarterback, and they've done a great job and will keep doing a great job. Whatever the injury situation is, with Nate (Livings) being banged up, and we've got different guys coming in and out, it's a group that has good leaders with Bobbie and Whit and Kyle coming along. Just a good group of guys that's going to get better as we go, just like the other positions. So it's exciting to know that they're very stout up front. They do a good job against bull-rushes, and we're athletic on the outside, which is a good combination to have.”
You ran a couple of rollouts against Denver. What do you like about that?
“I like it anytime you have a chance to get the ball downfield, and we did on both of those. There were some errors made on the plays, and we'll keep working on them and hang onto those and wait until we get better at them, because there were two mistakes that really shouldn't be made, but we'll continue to get better, like I keep saying. It's a group that doesn't have a lot of experience playing together, and the more you play together the better you get.”
What does the rollout do for you, and the offense?
“It just changes up where the quarterback's setup point is. You get a chance to get a little bit of a run action with some bite on the defense, and moving the hit point that the defense is setting up for quarterback sacks and getting pressure on the quarterbacks.”
In preseason, and against Denver, Brian Leonard took some short passes and turned them into long gains. How do you like having someone like that in the backfield with you?
“He's really special because in those two-minute situations and third-down situations, he can pick up anybody in the pass protection because he's a big, physical guy, but he has really good hands. He has surprisingly good hands. So it’s a good combination, being able to put him in there and pick up a 260-pound D-end or a big linebacker with a bull-rush, and then put him in with some screens because he can catch the ball and on check-downs. You're so confident that he'll catch the ball, and then you combine that with he's got some speed and moves. He's a big threat for us on third down.”
Does he have surprising speed?
“His speed's surprising, but he's real shifty. He's really good in the open field breaking tackles and making people miss, too.”
Do you buy into the notion that some teams just know how to win, and others don’t? And why is it that some teams seem to have wacky endings go against them? How do you change it?
“I'm not sure what you do to get over the hump, but it does seem that some teams get luckier breaks than others. Our break was definitely unlucky. You look at the Patriots' break with the fumble, it was lucky. But you just keep working, and that's the only thing I know is to keep working, keep trying to find ways to win.”
Is it luck?
“I don't know. I'm not very philosophical, so I'm not sure about that one.”
WEEK 2 - Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis -Ingles
Sept. 14, 2009
Opening Comments:
“The crowd yesterday was really outstanding. I thought they did a great job and had a real effect on the game. It was great to see. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it finished off so they could go home and enjoy it. Hats off to them. Our players noticed it and commented on it. It obviously has an effect. You only get eight home-field games to begin with, and we let one get away. They were outstanding as a group yesterday. Very loud and vocal. It has an effect on the other team’s offense. I know we know about it when we play on the road a lot of times. We spend a lot of time practicing with noise when we’re on offense, because of the concentration level you’ve got to have. Even at midfield, I noticed, (Denver) nearly got a delay of game.
“I think we came out of the game pretty healthy. We may have lost Nate Livings with a knee. I don’t know if we’ll have his services this week. Brian Leonard was the other guy that got banged up in the game, but Brian should be fine. It happened toward the end when we were moving the ball down there on them. He was able to stay in, I think, for one more play before we were able to get him out. David Jones should be working his way back as he expands his rehab and gets back more into the on-field stuff. Carson seemed to come through the game well. I’m sure he was sore today.
“We will have to bring Andre (Smith) to the roster at 4 p.m. today, so we will waive DeDe Dorsey (to open a spot).
“As far as the game goes, as I said yesterday, there were a lot of very good plays to build upon. Before you play a regular season game, you really don’t know where you are. You kind of know, but now we know. And I was somewhat excited about a lot of that. Where I was disappointed was the execution of some of it. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times offensively. Whether it’s the dropped balls or the four penalties, that hurts. We squandered a couple opportunities. We got run by on a pass rush. We got overpowered on a pass rush. On special teams, there was our failure to have a perfect snap, handle the snap, get the ball down and kick the field goal. So it came down to a play late in the game.
“ What I liked, again, is that the offense hung in there and they were able to drive the ball 90-plus yards to go ahead in the game. So a lot of the things we talked about on the sidelines in the heat of the battle, it all came true. Defense, don’t let them score and you’ll win the game, even though you’re down 6-0. Offense, score one touchdown and you’ll win the game, even though you’re down 6-0. Those things pretty much came to light until the end. All that being said, we did some good things on defense. Guys had some outstanding plays, but we’ve got to be more consistent. We allowed a couple of “chunk” plays that changed field position and enabled them to get the long field goals. We had a chance to keep them backed up in the one minute situation before halftime, get the ball back, and have an opportunity for our offense to have the ball. And we let them squirt out of there on the crossing route. So some correction was made today. You know, you don’t feel good. It was kind of like getting kicked in the ‘you know where’ yesterday. But it is what it is, and we have to learn from it and come back to be a better prepared, a better planned and better executing football team this week in Green Bay. “
Can you explain what happened when they reviewed the Andre Caldwell catch at the one-yard line?
“It was a booth challenge. The mechanics didn’t make sense, but it doesn’t matter. That had no affect on the football game. Other than the fact he did not start the clock on the “ready for play.” But again, what happens in the past doesn’t really matter. Maybe call the league office and figure that out, because I’m not going to worry about that.”
So you wanted to call time out to get everything squared away, right?
“Yes. I wanted to make sure we had four opportunities to win the game. About eight seconds per play.”
Did you get to look at the play where Johnathan Joseph may have intercepted the pass right before the big play?
“That’s a booth review. It was inside of two minutes. It really doesn’t matter what we think about any of that. You can’t coach this game, nor play this game, worried about what the officials do, or don’t do. You’ve got to go play the next play. We can’t worry about it, we’ve got to play. The game is in the hands of those people. Whether he gets one foot down, or two feet down, it doesn’t matter. It’s what is called out there, and that’s what matters.”
Does a loss like the one yesterday sting more than a normal loss would because of the way it ended?
“Every loss stings, so it doesn’t sting any more, or any less.”
Since you don’t get a chance to practice the sort of thing that happened at the end of the game, what can you tell your guys to do differently in that situation?
“We do practice that kind of thing, and we have some improvement that could have been made on that particular play. But I thought the guys at the point did exactly what they want to do on that play. Leon (Hall) goes up to try and intercept the ball, and unfortunately it bounces off his hands. Guys come over to take the receiver out just like they are supposed to do, and the other guys have to do a better job of finishing it. There were some things that can be done differently, but it’s a play that happened. I don’t know what you call it, but it’s a good play by them, and a not-so-good play by us.”
You guys have had issues with finishing drives and untimely penalties throughout the preseason with the first team, and it continued yesterday. Is that a physical issue? Is it concentration?
“It’s not a physical issue. I can’t even point to it as a youthful issue. It’s an issue with discipline and not trying to do more than you need to do. We’re talking about guys finishing. We have guys downfield on pass plays, because they’re chasing a linebacker, they’re chasing the guy down the field they were blocking on. They have to understand the timing and the scope of those plays. Those are new plays for us. It’s one thing when you have that with guys like Jason Shirley, or whoever it was in the preseason. It’s different when it’s your regular center or right guard. And we’ve told Chad (Ochocinco), OPI (offensive pass interference) is a point of emphasis this year. You can’t have the pushing down the field by the receivers. The defense has struck back, and they’re trying to get on a level ground.”
The offensive line was a point of emphasis coming into this game with running the ball and protecting Carson Palmer. How do you think they did?
“I thought we did a good job. There were a couple plays where we didn’t protect him as well as we should have. I thought in running the ball, we got off to a good start. Because of some of those negative plays we’ve been harping on, it got us off track for being able to run the ball more effectively. We have some things to clean up with Cedric (Benson). We have some things to clean up with our quarterback to get us in the right runs at times. We will. We’ll continue to do that and work hard at it. It was (Palmer’s) first game of playing after a while, and I thought he came out of it pretty well. There’s some things we I‘d like him to do better. He had a couple throws that he normally makes that he missed. We’ll just keep working and be sharper with it.”
You were running the ball more effectively in first half, but went away from that some in the second half. Why do you think that was?
“You have to play some of it by down and distance. Some of the tendencies that were occurring in the game were them getting a lot of pressures. We wanted to take advantage of some of those things as well. The play-calling happens as you go through. If you don’t win, people are going to question what you did.”
Why the decision to cut DeDe Dorsey?
“We had 53 guys, and we needed a spot. We were one heavy at running back. DeDe did a lot to stay here, but at this point, where we are, DeDe was the guy we needed to release today.”
Is Andre Smith progressing physically?
“Yes, he’s doing fine.”
Do you have any idea when he could be back?
“As I’ve said, I don’t usually put a timetable on injured players. That wouldn’t be fair to me, you or them.”
Sept. 16, 2009
Opening Comments:
“With the Packers, it probably starts with their quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s in his second year as a starting player. He has a very strong arm, he’s very athletic and he has very good foot-speed when he does move and run out of the pocket. They have a fine runner in Ryan Grant. Their receiving corps is very talented, with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Donald Lee and Jermichael Finley, the second year player from Texas. . So it’s a talented group of guys. They want to push the ball vertically quite a bit, and work it off of the action passes, and things like that.
“Defensively, they’re in a new system with the 3-4. But I thought last week, Cullen Jenkins had a great start to the year. They’re athletic up front, and they have some big, strong, physical guys. With the linebacker group, it’s a good pass rushing group. So when they come with the pressures, I think they do a very good job of trying to get matched up versus a running back, and winning. In the secondary, they’ve got some guys who have played well throughout their careers in the NFL. So it’s a really athletic group defensively running around. They’re similar to what we saw last week from Denver. Scheme-wise they’re just a touch different, but similar. Their special teams is a really athletic group, and they’ve been playing together for a while.
“So it’s a good challenge going up to Green Bay and playing at Lambeau Field. It will be a fun thing with the great crowd. We’re excited and looking forward to the challenge of the game.”
You had a good pass rush last week. How important is that against Aaron Rodgers?
“Well, it’s important to put pressure on the football, whether it be the running game or the passing game. That’s a given.”
Kevin Huber did a nice job pinning Denver deep a few times. Can you speak to what he was able to do and how important that is?
“I thought Kevin did a good job and I think Kevin will do much better as the year goes on. It wasn’t his best day punting the football. By our standards, it was good, but Kevin is even more talented than that and will do better as time goes on. It was his first opportunity, so I’m sure he was a little nervous going into the game, but he’s not one to carry much of that with him for very long. He’s been a pretty cool customer. He did a good job. He had a great punt when we were backed up. He was good when we were into the wind. He did a lot of good things. I would expect Kevin to do nothing but continue to get better and better as we go. He had a little block there on the fake punt, he stuck his nose in there.”
Even though Andre Smith isn’t practicing, how much has he progressed just from being here?
“He’s doing well, really doing well.”
Obviously there’s a big learning curve.
“Oh, I don’t think it’s that big. He was here for every OTA, every coaching session and minicamp. He’s a smart guy, and he’s playing the position he’s played his whole life. His learning curve is just going to be on what happens with NFL defenses and the changes and so forth. He played at a very good school, very well coached there. It’s just a matter of repetition.”
It looks like Carson is getting comfortable with Andre Caldwell, and he looks a little like T.J. (Houshmandzadeh), making the tough catches on third down and over the middle.
“He’s done a good job vertically for us, which is the key and what we’re looking to get more of out of from that position. Andre has been able to do that, and then get the tough catches and the tough yards, as well as getting dirty blocking in some situations. I really think Andre continues to get better and better in a lot of areas. So we really are getting a lot of quality snaps out of that position, maybe more than we were.”
You worked with Dom Capers in Pittsburgh. What does he bring to a defense, and what did you learn from your experiences with him?
“They’re doing a lot of the 3-4 things that we started doing back in ’93 in Pittsburgh, some of the pressures and things like that, and they’re trying to do some of the new things that are happening this year, in the 2008 and 2009 NFL. So you can see all those parts of the equation as they line up and go. But they’re starting from ground zero with some of the fundamental things we did. You see it on tape.”
You coached Kevin Greene and had him here for a training camp. What does he bring?
“Kevin is really making his first full transition into coaching. He was obviously a very smart player. When I was coaching those guys, it was a mutual coaching going on most of the time, probably, because they were getting mad because they had to do certain things and I was the college coach. But I think as things turned out, they all had fine careers. Kevin was a really smart player, and he made our other players better, and I think that’s going to show up in what he’s able to bring to this group of linebackers he’s coaching in Green Bay. As a player, he was able to uplift the guys he was playing with and help them, help the young guys, he and Greg Lloyd. There was quite a challenge there. That’s why I had Kevin here in training camp. Kevin was a walk-on at Auburn and was a late-round draft pick and he just kept doing it. I think he is the all-time leading sacker as a linebacker in the NFL, which is quite a record for a guy who rushed primarily from the left side for most of his career. Averaged 10-plus sacks a season. What he has done stands alone.”
How much does experience benefit the cornerbacks Green Bay has?
“Charles (Woodson) goes inside on third down, plays their nickel, so he’s getting a chance to blitz a lot as their nickel corner. Al Harris is a fine player. He’s a smart guy who plays the ball well. So it’s going to be good. It’s going to be a great matchup on the perimeter on both sides -- our corners against their receivers and their corners against our receivers. I think that’s going to play a lot to the outcome of the game. But we have to do a good job up front on both sides of the ball and along the line of scrimmage.”
Opening Comments:
“The crowd yesterday was really outstanding. I thought they did a great job and had a real effect on the game. It was great to see. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it finished off so they could go home and enjoy it. Hats off to them. Our players noticed it and commented on it. It obviously has an effect. You only get eight home-field games to begin with, and we let one get away. They were outstanding as a group yesterday. Very loud and vocal. It has an effect on the other team’s offense. I know we know about it when we play on the road a lot of times. We spend a lot of time practicing with noise when we’re on offense, because of the concentration level you’ve got to have. Even at midfield, I noticed, (Denver) nearly got a delay of game.
“I think we came out of the game pretty healthy. We may have lost Nate Livings with a knee. I don’t know if we’ll have his services this week. Brian Leonard was the other guy that got banged up in the game, but Brian should be fine. It happened toward the end when we were moving the ball down there on them. He was able to stay in, I think, for one more play before we were able to get him out. David Jones should be working his way back as he expands his rehab and gets back more into the on-field stuff. Carson seemed to come through the game well. I’m sure he was sore today.
“We will have to bring Andre (Smith) to the roster at 4 p.m. today, so we will waive DeDe Dorsey (to open a spot).
“As far as the game goes, as I said yesterday, there were a lot of very good plays to build upon. Before you play a regular season game, you really don’t know where you are. You kind of know, but now we know. And I was somewhat excited about a lot of that. Where I was disappointed was the execution of some of it. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times offensively. Whether it’s the dropped balls or the four penalties, that hurts. We squandered a couple opportunities. We got run by on a pass rush. We got overpowered on a pass rush. On special teams, there was our failure to have a perfect snap, handle the snap, get the ball down and kick the field goal. So it came down to a play late in the game.
“ What I liked, again, is that the offense hung in there and they were able to drive the ball 90-plus yards to go ahead in the game. So a lot of the things we talked about on the sidelines in the heat of the battle, it all came true. Defense, don’t let them score and you’ll win the game, even though you’re down 6-0. Offense, score one touchdown and you’ll win the game, even though you’re down 6-0. Those things pretty much came to light until the end. All that being said, we did some good things on defense. Guys had some outstanding plays, but we’ve got to be more consistent. We allowed a couple of “chunk” plays that changed field position and enabled them to get the long field goals. We had a chance to keep them backed up in the one minute situation before halftime, get the ball back, and have an opportunity for our offense to have the ball. And we let them squirt out of there on the crossing route. So some correction was made today. You know, you don’t feel good. It was kind of like getting kicked in the ‘you know where’ yesterday. But it is what it is, and we have to learn from it and come back to be a better prepared, a better planned and better executing football team this week in Green Bay. “
Can you explain what happened when they reviewed the Andre Caldwell catch at the one-yard line?
“It was a booth challenge. The mechanics didn’t make sense, but it doesn’t matter. That had no affect on the football game. Other than the fact he did not start the clock on the “ready for play.” But again, what happens in the past doesn’t really matter. Maybe call the league office and figure that out, because I’m not going to worry about that.”
So you wanted to call time out to get everything squared away, right?
“Yes. I wanted to make sure we had four opportunities to win the game. About eight seconds per play.”
Did you get to look at the play where Johnathan Joseph may have intercepted the pass right before the big play?
“That’s a booth review. It was inside of two minutes. It really doesn’t matter what we think about any of that. You can’t coach this game, nor play this game, worried about what the officials do, or don’t do. You’ve got to go play the next play. We can’t worry about it, we’ve got to play. The game is in the hands of those people. Whether he gets one foot down, or two feet down, it doesn’t matter. It’s what is called out there, and that’s what matters.”
Does a loss like the one yesterday sting more than a normal loss would because of the way it ended?
“Every loss stings, so it doesn’t sting any more, or any less.”
Since you don’t get a chance to practice the sort of thing that happened at the end of the game, what can you tell your guys to do differently in that situation?
“We do practice that kind of thing, and we have some improvement that could have been made on that particular play. But I thought the guys at the point did exactly what they want to do on that play. Leon (Hall) goes up to try and intercept the ball, and unfortunately it bounces off his hands. Guys come over to take the receiver out just like they are supposed to do, and the other guys have to do a better job of finishing it. There were some things that can be done differently, but it’s a play that happened. I don’t know what you call it, but it’s a good play by them, and a not-so-good play by us.”
You guys have had issues with finishing drives and untimely penalties throughout the preseason with the first team, and it continued yesterday. Is that a physical issue? Is it concentration?
“It’s not a physical issue. I can’t even point to it as a youthful issue. It’s an issue with discipline and not trying to do more than you need to do. We’re talking about guys finishing. We have guys downfield on pass plays, because they’re chasing a linebacker, they’re chasing the guy down the field they were blocking on. They have to understand the timing and the scope of those plays. Those are new plays for us. It’s one thing when you have that with guys like Jason Shirley, or whoever it was in the preseason. It’s different when it’s your regular center or right guard. And we’ve told Chad (Ochocinco), OPI (offensive pass interference) is a point of emphasis this year. You can’t have the pushing down the field by the receivers. The defense has struck back, and they’re trying to get on a level ground.”
The offensive line was a point of emphasis coming into this game with running the ball and protecting Carson Palmer. How do you think they did?
“I thought we did a good job. There were a couple plays where we didn’t protect him as well as we should have. I thought in running the ball, we got off to a good start. Because of some of those negative plays we’ve been harping on, it got us off track for being able to run the ball more effectively. We have some things to clean up with Cedric (Benson). We have some things to clean up with our quarterback to get us in the right runs at times. We will. We’ll continue to do that and work hard at it. It was (Palmer’s) first game of playing after a while, and I thought he came out of it pretty well. There’s some things we I‘d like him to do better. He had a couple throws that he normally makes that he missed. We’ll just keep working and be sharper with it.”
You were running the ball more effectively in first half, but went away from that some in the second half. Why do you think that was?
“You have to play some of it by down and distance. Some of the tendencies that were occurring in the game were them getting a lot of pressures. We wanted to take advantage of some of those things as well. The play-calling happens as you go through. If you don’t win, people are going to question what you did.”
Why the decision to cut DeDe Dorsey?
“We had 53 guys, and we needed a spot. We were one heavy at running back. DeDe did a lot to stay here, but at this point, where we are, DeDe was the guy we needed to release today.”
Is Andre Smith progressing physically?
“Yes, he’s doing fine.”
Do you have any idea when he could be back?
“As I’ve said, I don’t usually put a timetable on injured players. That wouldn’t be fair to me, you or them.”
Sept. 16, 2009
Opening Comments:
“With the Packers, it probably starts with their quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s in his second year as a starting player. He has a very strong arm, he’s very athletic and he has very good foot-speed when he does move and run out of the pocket. They have a fine runner in Ryan Grant. Their receiving corps is very talented, with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Donald Lee and Jermichael Finley, the second year player from Texas. . So it’s a talented group of guys. They want to push the ball vertically quite a bit, and work it off of the action passes, and things like that.
“Defensively, they’re in a new system with the 3-4. But I thought last week, Cullen Jenkins had a great start to the year. They’re athletic up front, and they have some big, strong, physical guys. With the linebacker group, it’s a good pass rushing group. So when they come with the pressures, I think they do a very good job of trying to get matched up versus a running back, and winning. In the secondary, they’ve got some guys who have played well throughout their careers in the NFL. So it’s a really athletic group defensively running around. They’re similar to what we saw last week from Denver. Scheme-wise they’re just a touch different, but similar. Their special teams is a really athletic group, and they’ve been playing together for a while.
“So it’s a good challenge going up to Green Bay and playing at Lambeau Field. It will be a fun thing with the great crowd. We’re excited and looking forward to the challenge of the game.”
You had a good pass rush last week. How important is that against Aaron Rodgers?
“Well, it’s important to put pressure on the football, whether it be the running game or the passing game. That’s a given.”
Kevin Huber did a nice job pinning Denver deep a few times. Can you speak to what he was able to do and how important that is?
“I thought Kevin did a good job and I think Kevin will do much better as the year goes on. It wasn’t his best day punting the football. By our standards, it was good, but Kevin is even more talented than that and will do better as time goes on. It was his first opportunity, so I’m sure he was a little nervous going into the game, but he’s not one to carry much of that with him for very long. He’s been a pretty cool customer. He did a good job. He had a great punt when we were backed up. He was good when we were into the wind. He did a lot of good things. I would expect Kevin to do nothing but continue to get better and better as we go. He had a little block there on the fake punt, he stuck his nose in there.”
Even though Andre Smith isn’t practicing, how much has he progressed just from being here?
“He’s doing well, really doing well.”
Obviously there’s a big learning curve.
“Oh, I don’t think it’s that big. He was here for every OTA, every coaching session and minicamp. He’s a smart guy, and he’s playing the position he’s played his whole life. His learning curve is just going to be on what happens with NFL defenses and the changes and so forth. He played at a very good school, very well coached there. It’s just a matter of repetition.”
It looks like Carson is getting comfortable with Andre Caldwell, and he looks a little like T.J. (Houshmandzadeh), making the tough catches on third down and over the middle.
“He’s done a good job vertically for us, which is the key and what we’re looking to get more of out of from that position. Andre has been able to do that, and then get the tough catches and the tough yards, as well as getting dirty blocking in some situations. I really think Andre continues to get better and better in a lot of areas. So we really are getting a lot of quality snaps out of that position, maybe more than we were.”
You worked with Dom Capers in Pittsburgh. What does he bring to a defense, and what did you learn from your experiences with him?
“They’re doing a lot of the 3-4 things that we started doing back in ’93 in Pittsburgh, some of the pressures and things like that, and they’re trying to do some of the new things that are happening this year, in the 2008 and 2009 NFL. So you can see all those parts of the equation as they line up and go. But they’re starting from ground zero with some of the fundamental things we did. You see it on tape.”
You coached Kevin Greene and had him here for a training camp. What does he bring?
“Kevin is really making his first full transition into coaching. He was obviously a very smart player. When I was coaching those guys, it was a mutual coaching going on most of the time, probably, because they were getting mad because they had to do certain things and I was the college coach. But I think as things turned out, they all had fine careers. Kevin was a really smart player, and he made our other players better, and I think that’s going to show up in what he’s able to bring to this group of linebackers he’s coaching in Green Bay. As a player, he was able to uplift the guys he was playing with and help them, help the young guys, he and Greg Lloyd. There was quite a challenge there. That’s why I had Kevin here in training camp. Kevin was a walk-on at Auburn and was a late-round draft pick and he just kept doing it. I think he is the all-time leading sacker as a linebacker in the NFL, which is quite a record for a guy who rushed primarily from the left side for most of his career. Averaged 10-plus sacks a season. What he has done stands alone.”
How much does experience benefit the cornerbacks Green Bay has?
“Charles (Woodson) goes inside on third down, plays their nickel, so he’s getting a chance to blitz a lot as their nickel corner. Al Harris is a fine player. He’s a smart guy who plays the ball well. So it’s going to be good. It’s going to be a great matchup on the perimeter on both sides -- our corners against their receivers and their corners against our receivers. I think that’s going to play a lot to the outcome of the game. But we have to do a good job up front on both sides of the ball and along the line of scrimmage.”
WEEK 2 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ingles
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
HEAD COACH RAHEEM MORRIS
Opening statement:
“Today we started on some Buffalo preparation. They are a good team, a lot of good players. They are kind of like us a little bit. They have some talent on their team; everyone kind of underrates them a little bit. They went out Monday, put up a really good performance. I know you don’t get any moral victories in this league, I know they felt the same way we do. Whenever you lose a game, whatever the score was, it doesn’t matter how close you were, you lose a game. None of that stuff matters, but they are a really good team, a really well coached team, I have a lot of respect for Dick Jauron. Roster moves, you guys already know about Sean Mahan back. We are still looking for the best 53. We have a bunch of guys in here that are working out for us. Injuries, E.J. Biggers is still out, he did not participate today. Antonio Bryant was limited today. Jeff Faine today is out. He obviously did not participate. Kyle Moore did not participate and John Gilmore was limited with his back today. We are getting a little healthy, we lost a couple. Not bad for your first week.”
On whom the starting center would be this week:
“Well, of course we didn’t rep Faine. Obviously it won’t be Faine so we repped Mahan today and we repped Compas. Those two will be working at those positions, I don’t want to help Buffalo out too much but we’ll get one of those guys more than likely.”
On keeping LG Jeremy Zuttah at guard:
“I want to keep Zuttah at home. That thing is working out too well. It is kind of like the old deal with the move of Michael Jordan to point guard because the point guard got hurt. I’m not saying that Zuttah is Michael Jordan but it’s one of those deals, moving a guy that is doing pretty well. To get another guy in there and plug him in, you go from two C players and let him remain at his B plus, A [grade] that he is playing and plug in the other guys.”
On if he is concerned about the hits that Bryon Leftwich took:
“I overexaggerated that deal, just like you are right now. When I went back and looked at the tape, you are right, he took seven hits. Four of them came in the last drive, that last touchdown drive. He had three up until that point. It’s just when Byron gets hit, it’s so obvious because he is so big and tall, he lumbers down and falls slowly. You kind of put more into it. He’ll be sore. He is always going to stand in there. He’ll be the guy that stands in there and delivers the football. He is going to hold it a little longer than he should. He is going to do a whole bunch of stuff like that but he is also going to make the play when he holds onto it. He’ll make a dynamic throw down the field for a big time completion like he did with Clayton on the one right there before the half. I would like to get out of a game and my quarterback’s jersey is clean. The reality of that and the reality of that with Leftwich, that’s not what it is. He only got hit seven times, but that is seven too many. Four of them came in that last drive. That is kudos to the offensive line, kudos to those backs. When you go back to look at the tape, there were big time chips from the backs and big time chips from the tight ends.”
On what surprised him the most about watching the game tapes:
“I can’t say I was surprised about really anything. I’ve seen Cadillac coming along the whole time; I’ve seen him be dynamic in practice. It’s just a matter of time when he got the opportunity to get out there. I’ve seen Derrick Ward being dynamic in practice and it was just a matter of time until he got out there and people had to tackle him for a whole game. I guess the surprise, it wasn’t a surprise but to see Leftwich go out there and handle it as well as he did, us protect as well as we did, us communicating, moving down the field as well as we did, as often as we did. I guess it was a little surprising because we haven’t done it during the preseason. They put it all together that day and we played pretty well on offense. I wouldn’t say I was surprised but it was nice to see.”
On the amount of time Leftwich holds the ball:
“He is not watching the guys coming to hit him. He is watching down the field, looking down the field, waiting for somebody to get open. He stands in there, you have to give him a lot of credit. It takes a grown man to stand in that pocket. I’ll stand back there in practice some days and I’m a coach, I have to go back to my normal side with the DB’s. It’s an uncomfortable feeling with guys rushing around you. You have to trust your people around you. You have to play the game when you fall off the ledge and you fall backwards into your friend’s arms. It’s kind of one of those deals. He does it consistently and all those guys do. Josh Johnson, he keeps his eyes down the field and doesn’t scramble, even though he can. Freeman is the same type of person, same body type. Those guys can do that stuff, they make big time throws on the field. Romo did it to us a couple of times, sat in that pocket, held on and threw a dagger.”
On the play of the defensive line:
"They played pretty well in the run game. [Chris] Hovan, [Ryan] Sims and Roy Miller, that was a nice combination in there to stop the inside run. They did a really nice job at that. Any time you hold Marion [Barber] to…I guess his average was pretty good but he had a couple breakout runs. He had one on a blitz and kind of got that [average] out of whack. But for the most part, they pretty much contained Marion. He's a hard guy to tackle with one guy. I saw Roy get him on the ground a couple times and Chris Hovan get him on the ground a couple times. We just didn't have the pass-rush yet. We need a guy to have a two-sack game, whether it's going to be Gaines [Adams] or whether it's going to be Jimmy [Wilkerson]. I can't ask Ryan Sims to do that; I can't ask Chris Hovan to do that; I can't ask Roy to do that. The inside pass-rush right now is either going to be Greg White or it's going to be Jimmy Wilkerson. We need one of those guys to step up in pass-rush situations. They played pretty well in the run, including Gaines and including Jimmy and including Greg White. When it comes to that passing downs, when it comes to those situations and I've got to step up and beat somebody and make a play, those are the guys you're looking for to do it first. Not to say that the other guys can't, it's just that's the guys that you want to do it first. They understand that. They know the severity of it. They've got to get better. And we will. We will."
On if he's confident that they've figured out what went wrong in the secondary:
"It wasn't a 'what-went-wrong.' It was four plays. One was a bad technique. One was another bad decision by Sab [Piscitelli], one was a bad technique by E-Mack [Elbert Mack] and one was a miscommunication deal with Sabby and Ronde [Barber], and that was just a dynamic play by a receiver. It's not a 'what-went-wrong.' We can do things to help them and we will. We can do things to play better on defense, with fundamentals and technique."
On bringing Sean Mahan back:
"We've got two guys in the building that have worked with us. We've got four guys in the building who have worked at center. Not to say you're not going to miss Jeff Faine, because you are. He is your team leader, your captain. He's a stud, but it's good to have Sean Mahan, especially since [he was here] in the preseason. I'm not in here saying, 'Oh, woe is me. The offense is done. Faine is out.' It happened in the preseason and Sean Mahan went in and played the whole half for us, three weeks in a row. Unfortunately he wasn't one of the best 53 at the time; now he is."
On why Byron Leftwich has missed some throws high:
"He's 6-5. One play he missed really high, and I guess it was to a wide-open [Derrick] Ward in the flat, it was a great progression of reads. We had a deep threat on and it wasn't there. He went to the intermediate level and then he came down and tried to get to that flat. The rush was coming and he tried to get it out and threw it right over D. Ward's head. It could have been a big play. Everybody sees that stuff but they forget the progression part you've got to go through to get there. He had a couple of what we call awkward throws, the one he kind of threw underhanded to Kellen [Winslow]. Another one he kind of shuffled out there to Derrick Ward. That's kind of the development of Byron Leftwich with Greg Olson because I've never seen him do that before in Jacksonville or in Atlanta and didn't know he could do it. He's trying to show you guys that he's got nimble feet. He's got his basketball background coming back out. So I was happy with what he did and how he moved the offense and how he came out with his first showing. We've just got to build on that. He's still got things he has to work on. Obviously, he's still got things he can get better at, and he will."
On if he's seeing Winslow wouldn't come out of the game after he was told to:
"No, no, no. He just wanted to stay in there. He was tired and he just wanted to stay in there, so he just did it. He's trying to fight through the heat, trying to embrace Tampa. He maybe listened to his coach too much, but we're getting better. That's my guy."
On no huddle Buffalo ran against the Patriots:
“A lot of stuff with that is to keep you from switching personnel groups. When the guy doesn’t huddle, they’re at the line of scrimmage you’re scared to run in a different personnel group, so you have to have all your calls ready to go, whatever they put out there. These guys they came out, they do a lot of the same stuff and they do it over and over and they do it well. That’s what they want to do and that’s a good strategy, so we have to be prepared to deal with that. We have to be prepared to go out there and look at that. We have to be prepared to deal with what we want to deal with. We have to be able to handle them, stand on the field, trying to wear us down, which we shouldn’t be able to get worn down dealing with what we deal with everyday that’s just the challenge that it presents.”
On how he would have the lineup in that case:
“Well usually we match with people, most of the time. A lot of people match and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we kind of go on our own base but they try to stop you from matching. That’s the purpose of it. Nobody wants to see Ronde Barber in the slot, so you can stop us from doing that if you want to, maybe.”
On if CB Aqib Talib covers WR Terrell Owens:
“T.O. is a really good football player and I don’t know. T.O.’s special, but they have Lee Evans too. You forget about the guy on the other side of the ball. He’s fast, he’s dynamic, he can run. He’s from Wisconsin, he’s young. He’s hungry. They have a new offense, have a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator and they’re fired up. Pick your poison. They have Roscoe Parrish, their return man, fast, quick, dynamic. Talib’s only one guy, only can cover one of them. The rest of the guys have to step up.”
On cornerback play:
“They did. I was proud of them. Ronde and Talib came out and played really well.”
On Buffalo’s loss to the Patriots:
“That’s unfortunate. You hate to see stuff like that happen. I don’t know if they feel any worse then we do. A loss is a loss. There are no moral victories. There is no way to go into a stadium and come out of there saying ‘we lost that game but we feel really good.’ You don’t. You go home, you sit on your couch and you go ‘woe is me’ for 12 hours. You get up and you come back to work. I’m sure they’re worried about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers like we are worried about the Buffalo Bills. That’s what you have to do. You can’t go in there and think about how you just lost or what could have happened, what should have happened or you lose the next week. I don’t think they are. I don’t think they have that in them. They have a mentally tough coach and they’ll bounce back. I’m sure they’ll be ready to go for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
On how it takes a toll on a quarterback:
“Yes, obviously any quarterback that gets hit a cumulative amount of times week to week depending on how the hits are, it’s going to take its toll, take its effect. It just wears you down. It’s happened around here that last couple of years. It got Jeff Garcia at one point. It’s gotten Bruce [Gradkowski]. It’s gotten Brad Johnson. All those guys, it’s the hardest position in football. Perhaps the hardest position in maybe professional sports and it takes a toll on all of them. They all go through it. They all deal with it. I guess the answer to your question is yes, it takes an effect. You have to do the best you can do to protect them.”
DE GAINES ADAMS
On playing Buffalo this Sunday:
“We just have to prepare this week and work hard. We have another tough game going up to their place. We just have to be prepared, cut down on the missed assignments and play hard.”
On what they need to improve on to get to the QB:
“Overall, it was just missed assignments. That’s the whole thing that it boils down to and big plays. We have four big plays and I think three of them resulted in touchdowns, you aren’t going to win the game. Our pass rushing, we did some good things. Obviously, we didn’t have any sacks between the four of us so we have to elevate that.”
DT CHRIS HOVAN
On what the defense needs to work on:
“Technique, fundamentals and communication, the basics of football. Once you get the basics of football down, it allows you to play that much faster. It allows you to see the field, to have vision of the field that much quicker. It’s because you aren’t thinking, all you are doing is reacting. That’s what defense is all about, it’s reaction. Once we get our calls, once we get lined up, we are all good. We are ready to play football and ready to react.”
QB BYRON LEFTWICH
On how he feels after Sunday’s game:
“I’m great, I’m okay. It feels like any other week during the season. I’m okay.”
On how the offensive line performed:
“I think the good thing is, we got a head on a hat. Anytime you are playing a 3-4 team with the things that they do defensively, especially with the players they have, you want to get a hat on a hat. We did get a hat on a hat and with that said and done, I think we are all fine with that.”
On what makes him most confident about the offensive line:
“I just see what we do everyday. I see what we do everyday in practice. Every time we go out there, we get better. We get better as a team and that’s all you can ask for. I see it every day so I have no real worries with the offensive end. I’ve been on good offenses and I’ve been on bad. I feel like we still have a lot to accomplish, we still have a lot to do because no one is going to give us anything. On paper, it says we should have a legitimate offense, but we still have to go out there and work our tail off, which we have been doing. What we do everyday gives me the confidence to go out there and be successful.”
On the pressure:
“I was born slow so I really have no choice. I’m not a guy that really runs around in the pocket. I understand my game, I understand what I can do out there on the football field and I understand that I’m the guy that has to get the ball in the right guys hand. Sometimes that is going to mean taking one. I’m fine with that, that’s the way I’ve always played football, that’s really the only way I know how to play football. I think we will be okay with that.”
On what defenses plan to face him:
“Believe me; I know what teams try against me. Like I said, when you are a pocket guy, teams will try certain things against you. You have to think, I’ve been slow all my life so I have been going through these types of things all my life. I know what I have to do and can’t do when guys bring pressure, what I can get away with and what I can’t get away with. It’s not a surprise to me when those things happen because I have been going through this my whole career, understanding where guys are going to bring pressure and what they are going to try to do to me as a quarterback. I’m fine with that. We just have to try to keep making plays.”
On Greg Olson putting up offensive numbers:
“That was great because it was tough for him. All last week he was running around, I know he wasn’t getting any sleep at night because his responsibility changed like that in a weekend. For us to go out there and play the way that we played offensively is great, knowing that it is 10 days. Now we are at the point where we have more than 10 days, let’s try to keep adding to what we did last week. I think we have a chance because we still made mistakes out there. Even though we did a lot of good stuff, we made mistakes out there that could have been big plays. We left some things out there that we will try to correct and hopefully we can capitalize on it this Sunday.”
On Buffalo’s defense:
“They have good players on their defense and that’s the thing. They are a team that’s not going to do a whole lot. They aren’t going to do a lot so from a standpoint of trying to prepare for all these different kind of things, you don’t have to do that this week. I think what they believe in is that they do what they do very well. You guys saw the game; they are a very good defensive football team. We have to make sure we execute well on offense in order to have success against these guys and we’ll start that preparation today.”
DT ROY MILLER
On what stands out with Buffalo:
“They are very balanced and they run the ball and throw it. They have two weapons outside at receiver and the running back is really good also.”
On the game plan:
“Number one, we just have to stop their run and we have to get after the quarterback. Like I said, they are a very balanced team.”
RB CARNELL WILLIAMS
On if his experiences made him unselfish and mature:
“I think they do. You look at the other guys and they were some guys that didn’t get drafted. I was a guy that was drafted high, came in with all of the glory, rookie of the year but I had to fight back from injury. It all balances. We have all been through high points and low points in our careers. We want to help one another and have a successful season.”
HEAD COACH RAHEEM MORRIS
Opening statement:
“Today we started on some Buffalo preparation. They are a good team, a lot of good players. They are kind of like us a little bit. They have some talent on their team; everyone kind of underrates them a little bit. They went out Monday, put up a really good performance. I know you don’t get any moral victories in this league, I know they felt the same way we do. Whenever you lose a game, whatever the score was, it doesn’t matter how close you were, you lose a game. None of that stuff matters, but they are a really good team, a really well coached team, I have a lot of respect for Dick Jauron. Roster moves, you guys already know about Sean Mahan back. We are still looking for the best 53. We have a bunch of guys in here that are working out for us. Injuries, E.J. Biggers is still out, he did not participate today. Antonio Bryant was limited today. Jeff Faine today is out. He obviously did not participate. Kyle Moore did not participate and John Gilmore was limited with his back today. We are getting a little healthy, we lost a couple. Not bad for your first week.”
On whom the starting center would be this week:
“Well, of course we didn’t rep Faine. Obviously it won’t be Faine so we repped Mahan today and we repped Compas. Those two will be working at those positions, I don’t want to help Buffalo out too much but we’ll get one of those guys more than likely.”
On keeping LG Jeremy Zuttah at guard:
“I want to keep Zuttah at home. That thing is working out too well. It is kind of like the old deal with the move of Michael Jordan to point guard because the point guard got hurt. I’m not saying that Zuttah is Michael Jordan but it’s one of those deals, moving a guy that is doing pretty well. To get another guy in there and plug him in, you go from two C players and let him remain at his B plus, A [grade] that he is playing and plug in the other guys.”
On if he is concerned about the hits that Bryon Leftwich took:
“I overexaggerated that deal, just like you are right now. When I went back and looked at the tape, you are right, he took seven hits. Four of them came in the last drive, that last touchdown drive. He had three up until that point. It’s just when Byron gets hit, it’s so obvious because he is so big and tall, he lumbers down and falls slowly. You kind of put more into it. He’ll be sore. He is always going to stand in there. He’ll be the guy that stands in there and delivers the football. He is going to hold it a little longer than he should. He is going to do a whole bunch of stuff like that but he is also going to make the play when he holds onto it. He’ll make a dynamic throw down the field for a big time completion like he did with Clayton on the one right there before the half. I would like to get out of a game and my quarterback’s jersey is clean. The reality of that and the reality of that with Leftwich, that’s not what it is. He only got hit seven times, but that is seven too many. Four of them came in that last drive. That is kudos to the offensive line, kudos to those backs. When you go back to look at the tape, there were big time chips from the backs and big time chips from the tight ends.”
On what surprised him the most about watching the game tapes:
“I can’t say I was surprised about really anything. I’ve seen Cadillac coming along the whole time; I’ve seen him be dynamic in practice. It’s just a matter of time when he got the opportunity to get out there. I’ve seen Derrick Ward being dynamic in practice and it was just a matter of time until he got out there and people had to tackle him for a whole game. I guess the surprise, it wasn’t a surprise but to see Leftwich go out there and handle it as well as he did, us protect as well as we did, us communicating, moving down the field as well as we did, as often as we did. I guess it was a little surprising because we haven’t done it during the preseason. They put it all together that day and we played pretty well on offense. I wouldn’t say I was surprised but it was nice to see.”
On the amount of time Leftwich holds the ball:
“He is not watching the guys coming to hit him. He is watching down the field, looking down the field, waiting for somebody to get open. He stands in there, you have to give him a lot of credit. It takes a grown man to stand in that pocket. I’ll stand back there in practice some days and I’m a coach, I have to go back to my normal side with the DB’s. It’s an uncomfortable feeling with guys rushing around you. You have to trust your people around you. You have to play the game when you fall off the ledge and you fall backwards into your friend’s arms. It’s kind of one of those deals. He does it consistently and all those guys do. Josh Johnson, he keeps his eyes down the field and doesn’t scramble, even though he can. Freeman is the same type of person, same body type. Those guys can do that stuff, they make big time throws on the field. Romo did it to us a couple of times, sat in that pocket, held on and threw a dagger.”
On the play of the defensive line:
"They played pretty well in the run game. [Chris] Hovan, [Ryan] Sims and Roy Miller, that was a nice combination in there to stop the inside run. They did a really nice job at that. Any time you hold Marion [Barber] to…I guess his average was pretty good but he had a couple breakout runs. He had one on a blitz and kind of got that [average] out of whack. But for the most part, they pretty much contained Marion. He's a hard guy to tackle with one guy. I saw Roy get him on the ground a couple times and Chris Hovan get him on the ground a couple times. We just didn't have the pass-rush yet. We need a guy to have a two-sack game, whether it's going to be Gaines [Adams] or whether it's going to be Jimmy [Wilkerson]. I can't ask Ryan Sims to do that; I can't ask Chris Hovan to do that; I can't ask Roy to do that. The inside pass-rush right now is either going to be Greg White or it's going to be Jimmy Wilkerson. We need one of those guys to step up in pass-rush situations. They played pretty well in the run, including Gaines and including Jimmy and including Greg White. When it comes to that passing downs, when it comes to those situations and I've got to step up and beat somebody and make a play, those are the guys you're looking for to do it first. Not to say that the other guys can't, it's just that's the guys that you want to do it first. They understand that. They know the severity of it. They've got to get better. And we will. We will."
On if he's confident that they've figured out what went wrong in the secondary:
"It wasn't a 'what-went-wrong.' It was four plays. One was a bad technique. One was another bad decision by Sab [Piscitelli], one was a bad technique by E-Mack [Elbert Mack] and one was a miscommunication deal with Sabby and Ronde [Barber], and that was just a dynamic play by a receiver. It's not a 'what-went-wrong.' We can do things to help them and we will. We can do things to play better on defense, with fundamentals and technique."
On bringing Sean Mahan back:
"We've got two guys in the building that have worked with us. We've got four guys in the building who have worked at center. Not to say you're not going to miss Jeff Faine, because you are. He is your team leader, your captain. He's a stud, but it's good to have Sean Mahan, especially since [he was here] in the preseason. I'm not in here saying, 'Oh, woe is me. The offense is done. Faine is out.' It happened in the preseason and Sean Mahan went in and played the whole half for us, three weeks in a row. Unfortunately he wasn't one of the best 53 at the time; now he is."
On why Byron Leftwich has missed some throws high:
"He's 6-5. One play he missed really high, and I guess it was to a wide-open [Derrick] Ward in the flat, it was a great progression of reads. We had a deep threat on and it wasn't there. He went to the intermediate level and then he came down and tried to get to that flat. The rush was coming and he tried to get it out and threw it right over D. Ward's head. It could have been a big play. Everybody sees that stuff but they forget the progression part you've got to go through to get there. He had a couple of what we call awkward throws, the one he kind of threw underhanded to Kellen [Winslow]. Another one he kind of shuffled out there to Derrick Ward. That's kind of the development of Byron Leftwich with Greg Olson because I've never seen him do that before in Jacksonville or in Atlanta and didn't know he could do it. He's trying to show you guys that he's got nimble feet. He's got his basketball background coming back out. So I was happy with what he did and how he moved the offense and how he came out with his first showing. We've just got to build on that. He's still got things he has to work on. Obviously, he's still got things he can get better at, and he will."
On if he's seeing Winslow wouldn't come out of the game after he was told to:
"No, no, no. He just wanted to stay in there. He was tired and he just wanted to stay in there, so he just did it. He's trying to fight through the heat, trying to embrace Tampa. He maybe listened to his coach too much, but we're getting better. That's my guy."
On no huddle Buffalo ran against the Patriots:
“A lot of stuff with that is to keep you from switching personnel groups. When the guy doesn’t huddle, they’re at the line of scrimmage you’re scared to run in a different personnel group, so you have to have all your calls ready to go, whatever they put out there. These guys they came out, they do a lot of the same stuff and they do it over and over and they do it well. That’s what they want to do and that’s a good strategy, so we have to be prepared to deal with that. We have to be prepared to go out there and look at that. We have to be prepared to deal with what we want to deal with. We have to be able to handle them, stand on the field, trying to wear us down, which we shouldn’t be able to get worn down dealing with what we deal with everyday that’s just the challenge that it presents.”
On how he would have the lineup in that case:
“Well usually we match with people, most of the time. A lot of people match and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we kind of go on our own base but they try to stop you from matching. That’s the purpose of it. Nobody wants to see Ronde Barber in the slot, so you can stop us from doing that if you want to, maybe.”
On if CB Aqib Talib covers WR Terrell Owens:
“T.O. is a really good football player and I don’t know. T.O.’s special, but they have Lee Evans too. You forget about the guy on the other side of the ball. He’s fast, he’s dynamic, he can run. He’s from Wisconsin, he’s young. He’s hungry. They have a new offense, have a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator and they’re fired up. Pick your poison. They have Roscoe Parrish, their return man, fast, quick, dynamic. Talib’s only one guy, only can cover one of them. The rest of the guys have to step up.”
On cornerback play:
“They did. I was proud of them. Ronde and Talib came out and played really well.”
On Buffalo’s loss to the Patriots:
“That’s unfortunate. You hate to see stuff like that happen. I don’t know if they feel any worse then we do. A loss is a loss. There are no moral victories. There is no way to go into a stadium and come out of there saying ‘we lost that game but we feel really good.’ You don’t. You go home, you sit on your couch and you go ‘woe is me’ for 12 hours. You get up and you come back to work. I’m sure they’re worried about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers like we are worried about the Buffalo Bills. That’s what you have to do. You can’t go in there and think about how you just lost or what could have happened, what should have happened or you lose the next week. I don’t think they are. I don’t think they have that in them. They have a mentally tough coach and they’ll bounce back. I’m sure they’ll be ready to go for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
On how it takes a toll on a quarterback:
“Yes, obviously any quarterback that gets hit a cumulative amount of times week to week depending on how the hits are, it’s going to take its toll, take its effect. It just wears you down. It’s happened around here that last couple of years. It got Jeff Garcia at one point. It’s gotten Bruce [Gradkowski]. It’s gotten Brad Johnson. All those guys, it’s the hardest position in football. Perhaps the hardest position in maybe professional sports and it takes a toll on all of them. They all go through it. They all deal with it. I guess the answer to your question is yes, it takes an effect. You have to do the best you can do to protect them.”
DE GAINES ADAMS
On playing Buffalo this Sunday:
“We just have to prepare this week and work hard. We have another tough game going up to their place. We just have to be prepared, cut down on the missed assignments and play hard.”
On what they need to improve on to get to the QB:
“Overall, it was just missed assignments. That’s the whole thing that it boils down to and big plays. We have four big plays and I think three of them resulted in touchdowns, you aren’t going to win the game. Our pass rushing, we did some good things. Obviously, we didn’t have any sacks between the four of us so we have to elevate that.”
DT CHRIS HOVAN
On what the defense needs to work on:
“Technique, fundamentals and communication, the basics of football. Once you get the basics of football down, it allows you to play that much faster. It allows you to see the field, to have vision of the field that much quicker. It’s because you aren’t thinking, all you are doing is reacting. That’s what defense is all about, it’s reaction. Once we get our calls, once we get lined up, we are all good. We are ready to play football and ready to react.”
QB BYRON LEFTWICH
On how he feels after Sunday’s game:
“I’m great, I’m okay. It feels like any other week during the season. I’m okay.”
On how the offensive line performed:
“I think the good thing is, we got a head on a hat. Anytime you are playing a 3-4 team with the things that they do defensively, especially with the players they have, you want to get a hat on a hat. We did get a hat on a hat and with that said and done, I think we are all fine with that.”
On what makes him most confident about the offensive line:
“I just see what we do everyday. I see what we do everyday in practice. Every time we go out there, we get better. We get better as a team and that’s all you can ask for. I see it every day so I have no real worries with the offensive end. I’ve been on good offenses and I’ve been on bad. I feel like we still have a lot to accomplish, we still have a lot to do because no one is going to give us anything. On paper, it says we should have a legitimate offense, but we still have to go out there and work our tail off, which we have been doing. What we do everyday gives me the confidence to go out there and be successful.”
On the pressure:
“I was born slow so I really have no choice. I’m not a guy that really runs around in the pocket. I understand my game, I understand what I can do out there on the football field and I understand that I’m the guy that has to get the ball in the right guys hand. Sometimes that is going to mean taking one. I’m fine with that, that’s the way I’ve always played football, that’s really the only way I know how to play football. I think we will be okay with that.”
On what defenses plan to face him:
“Believe me; I know what teams try against me. Like I said, when you are a pocket guy, teams will try certain things against you. You have to think, I’ve been slow all my life so I have been going through these types of things all my life. I know what I have to do and can’t do when guys bring pressure, what I can get away with and what I can’t get away with. It’s not a surprise to me when those things happen because I have been going through this my whole career, understanding where guys are going to bring pressure and what they are going to try to do to me as a quarterback. I’m fine with that. We just have to try to keep making plays.”
On Greg Olson putting up offensive numbers:
“That was great because it was tough for him. All last week he was running around, I know he wasn’t getting any sleep at night because his responsibility changed like that in a weekend. For us to go out there and play the way that we played offensively is great, knowing that it is 10 days. Now we are at the point where we have more than 10 days, let’s try to keep adding to what we did last week. I think we have a chance because we still made mistakes out there. Even though we did a lot of good stuff, we made mistakes out there that could have been big plays. We left some things out there that we will try to correct and hopefully we can capitalize on it this Sunday.”
On Buffalo’s defense:
“They have good players on their defense and that’s the thing. They are a team that’s not going to do a whole lot. They aren’t going to do a lot so from a standpoint of trying to prepare for all these different kind of things, you don’t have to do that this week. I think what they believe in is that they do what they do very well. You guys saw the game; they are a very good defensive football team. We have to make sure we execute well on offense in order to have success against these guys and we’ll start that preparation today.”
DT ROY MILLER
On what stands out with Buffalo:
“They are very balanced and they run the ball and throw it. They have two weapons outside at receiver and the running back is really good also.”
On the game plan:
“Number one, we just have to stop their run and we have to get after the quarterback. Like I said, they are a very balanced team.”
RB CARNELL WILLIAMS
On if his experiences made him unselfish and mature:
“I think they do. You look at the other guys and they were some guys that didn’t get drafted. I was a guy that was drafted high, came in with all of the glory, rookie of the year but I had to fight back from injury. It all balances. We have all been through high points and low points in our careers. We want to help one another and have a successful season.”
WEEK 2 - Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew - Ingles
9/16/09
On both teams coming off a loss but knowing there is still 15 games left in the season:
“Honestly, it was a close and tough game for us. We saw some great things. We don’t take anything as moral victories, we lost, we weren’t good enough that day. We saw some things that we definitely can improve on. We saw some great things and sometimes you have to make a play. There was some times when plays were open that we just didn’t capitalize on. As an offense that is what you have to do to score points. Especially playing against the Colts and now Arizona with the high powered offenses. We have to be able to score points. Granted the Cardinals defense does a great job of causing confusion, so we have to be on the same page. That is the thing, us being on the same page and working things out as a unit.”
On what he sees from the Cardinals defense:
“Everybody’s quick and they have great athletes out there. That is the tough thing about facing a three-four team, is the athletes they have. The two inside backers are very athletic, always around the ball, leading tacklers from last game. So there is definitely some things we have to look out for but we are going to do our game plan, our scheme and we are going to execute to the best of our ability.”
On if he expects to carry the ball more now that RB Fred Taylor is gone to a different team:
“It is whatever the coaches want. It doesn’t bother me. I just want to win. At the end of the day, wins are what count. That is what I’m trying to do. If I can’t win, why play the game. We’re doing whatever it takes to win here. If that means we have to throw the ball 100 times or run it 100 times, whatever it is, that’s what we’re going to try to do. We have to execute as an offense. That is the main thing that we have been focusing on and zoning into, just that execution.”
On how the Jaguars’ two rookie offensive tackles are playing so far:
“They are doing a great job. To start off with your first game, your welcome to the NFL, that would be the best way to do it against two of the best. They did a great job. They are really excited to have another tough challenge this week. Week to week, we just want to keep getting better. That is all we can do, get better and win games.”
On if it is difficult for the team to focus on football with all of the team’s ticket sales problems:
“It’s really not hard. We may blackout but there will still be 60,000 fans there. We have a college stadium, so it is pretty tough. We are just focusing on the team we have to play. We know that if we win, and when we win, the more fans will come. That’s how it is everywhere. We’re just going to keep playing ball. The fans have been great. We had a little ‘support the movement’ deal going on here. Everybody was growing out beards here and it was fun. We had a good time with it and we are trying to get people to come and be excited about the Jaguars. That is what we are going to be, an exciting team.”
On the fact that people are actually growing beards to support the team:
“Yeah. You guys didn’t hear about it on the west coast? You have to expand your horizons over there. It started with the offensive line and running backs were going to grow a bunch of beards. Then it trickled over to the tight ends and the receivers. David (Garrard) and the quarterbacks took it on. Then it just exploded. Then it was all over the country. I’m surprised that Arizona didn’t get it. I know it was in California. It’s a time thing. You guys don’t switch your time in the zones. When it’s daylight savings, you don’t switch. That’s the problem.”
On if he had been waiting to break out his touchdown dance that he performed on Sunday:
“You know, it was the shopping cart. I didn’t really get a good chance to do it, but I was asking everyone. You have to ask the offensive linemen what they want from the store, grab it off the shelf and put it in the cart. I did little things like that. We had a good time with it. (NFL Network’s) Rich Eisen wanted it to be done, so we did it for him.”
On what former Arizona State head coach and current Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has meant to the team:
“I played against Coach (Dirk) Koetter in college, so I knew what his offense was about. It was always about scoring points, putting up big numbers. We were really excited when he got here and his passing game elevated our running game to a certain extent. Obviously last year was tough because we had a bunch of injuries and things like that. This year, we are starting to open up the playbook a little bit. We are running the ball and throwing the ball really well. Last week, we were a little hesitant on some things, but we feel we that we have some plays that we need to call that we are going to call and execute.”
On if he feels that most teams’ offense is usually not in top form during the first week of the season:
“Really what I think is a lot of guys stick with their base plays that you have run in OTA’s, the ones you know you can do in your sleep. You try to execute, then you try to adapt on the run in the first game. Sometimes that does tend to make the offense start out slow because you might miss a few things, might not adjust quick enough and things like that. We know every week, everybody is going to improve. Obviously, with the offense that the Cardinals have, they are definitely going to improve. That is what we are trying to do as an offense. We are going to do our best to improve every week and put points on the board. We have a tough task this weekend. Your safeties are out of control. You whole defense and secondary is ridiculous. We have a tough one on our hands, but we are ready to step up to the challenge.”
On if he likes having offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter down on the sidelines this year instead of up in the booth:
“Yeah. We can talk to him and he can see what we see. It is more verbal and more vocal back-and-forth instead of trying to talk to him on the phone. When you talk to him on the phone, you can’t really see his facial expressions to see how he’s thinking and what he’s thinking about. Now you can see him. We can talk. A little give and take session.”
On both teams coming off a loss but knowing there is still 15 games left in the season:
“Honestly, it was a close and tough game for us. We saw some great things. We don’t take anything as moral victories, we lost, we weren’t good enough that day. We saw some things that we definitely can improve on. We saw some great things and sometimes you have to make a play. There was some times when plays were open that we just didn’t capitalize on. As an offense that is what you have to do to score points. Especially playing against the Colts and now Arizona with the high powered offenses. We have to be able to score points. Granted the Cardinals defense does a great job of causing confusion, so we have to be on the same page. That is the thing, us being on the same page and working things out as a unit.”
On what he sees from the Cardinals defense:
“Everybody’s quick and they have great athletes out there. That is the tough thing about facing a three-four team, is the athletes they have. The two inside backers are very athletic, always around the ball, leading tacklers from last game. So there is definitely some things we have to look out for but we are going to do our game plan, our scheme and we are going to execute to the best of our ability.”
On if he expects to carry the ball more now that RB Fred Taylor is gone to a different team:
“It is whatever the coaches want. It doesn’t bother me. I just want to win. At the end of the day, wins are what count. That is what I’m trying to do. If I can’t win, why play the game. We’re doing whatever it takes to win here. If that means we have to throw the ball 100 times or run it 100 times, whatever it is, that’s what we’re going to try to do. We have to execute as an offense. That is the main thing that we have been focusing on and zoning into, just that execution.”
On how the Jaguars’ two rookie offensive tackles are playing so far:
“They are doing a great job. To start off with your first game, your welcome to the NFL, that would be the best way to do it against two of the best. They did a great job. They are really excited to have another tough challenge this week. Week to week, we just want to keep getting better. That is all we can do, get better and win games.”
On if it is difficult for the team to focus on football with all of the team’s ticket sales problems:
“It’s really not hard. We may blackout but there will still be 60,000 fans there. We have a college stadium, so it is pretty tough. We are just focusing on the team we have to play. We know that if we win, and when we win, the more fans will come. That’s how it is everywhere. We’re just going to keep playing ball. The fans have been great. We had a little ‘support the movement’ deal going on here. Everybody was growing out beards here and it was fun. We had a good time with it and we are trying to get people to come and be excited about the Jaguars. That is what we are going to be, an exciting team.”
On the fact that people are actually growing beards to support the team:
“Yeah. You guys didn’t hear about it on the west coast? You have to expand your horizons over there. It started with the offensive line and running backs were going to grow a bunch of beards. Then it trickled over to the tight ends and the receivers. David (Garrard) and the quarterbacks took it on. Then it just exploded. Then it was all over the country. I’m surprised that Arizona didn’t get it. I know it was in California. It’s a time thing. You guys don’t switch your time in the zones. When it’s daylight savings, you don’t switch. That’s the problem.”
On if he had been waiting to break out his touchdown dance that he performed on Sunday:
“You know, it was the shopping cart. I didn’t really get a good chance to do it, but I was asking everyone. You have to ask the offensive linemen what they want from the store, grab it off the shelf and put it in the cart. I did little things like that. We had a good time with it. (NFL Network’s) Rich Eisen wanted it to be done, so we did it for him.”
On what former Arizona State head coach and current Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has meant to the team:
“I played against Coach (Dirk) Koetter in college, so I knew what his offense was about. It was always about scoring points, putting up big numbers. We were really excited when he got here and his passing game elevated our running game to a certain extent. Obviously last year was tough because we had a bunch of injuries and things like that. This year, we are starting to open up the playbook a little bit. We are running the ball and throwing the ball really well. Last week, we were a little hesitant on some things, but we feel we that we have some plays that we need to call that we are going to call and execute.”
On if he feels that most teams’ offense is usually not in top form during the first week of the season:
“Really what I think is a lot of guys stick with their base plays that you have run in OTA’s, the ones you know you can do in your sleep. You try to execute, then you try to adapt on the run in the first game. Sometimes that does tend to make the offense start out slow because you might miss a few things, might not adjust quick enough and things like that. We know every week, everybody is going to improve. Obviously, with the offense that the Cardinals have, they are definitely going to improve. That is what we are trying to do as an offense. We are going to do our best to improve every week and put points on the board. We have a tough task this weekend. Your safeties are out of control. You whole defense and secondary is ridiculous. We have a tough one on our hands, but we are ready to step up to the challenge.”
On if he likes having offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter down on the sidelines this year instead of up in the booth:
“Yeah. We can talk to him and he can see what we see. It is more verbal and more vocal back-and-forth instead of trying to talk to him on the phone. When you talk to him on the phone, you can’t really see his facial expressions to see how he’s thinking and what he’s thinking about. Now you can see him. We can talk. A little give and take session.”
WEEK 2 - Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio -Ingles
9/16/09
On how hard it is to prepare for the Cardinals, especially since they only play once every four or five years:
“Obviously, we got to see them play in the Super Bowl last year. We have been hard at work getting prepared for them. They are not an opponent we play all the time. We are doing our best to study them and learn what they like to do and who they like to do it with. We understand that they have a lot of talent. They have eight Pro Bowlers on the squad. It is a very strong football team. We are getting ready to do well in our home opener.”
On if he agrees with Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt’s assessment that team’s get off to a slow start in week one because you haven’t seen much film from the other team:
“I think both of us experienced a weekend last week that did not go the way we wanted. From that standpoint, we would like to be a week better and find a way to get a victory this week.”
On if it was disappointing that the Jaguars had the ball at the end of the game with a chance to win but could not deliver:
“Sure it was. Not winning period was. We expected to go out and play well and find a way to win that game. We had some opportunities that we did not execute well enough to capitalize on. That is the way it goes. You get your chances and you have to execute when you get those opportunities.”
On his decision to bring offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter down from the booth to the sidelines:
“That was something I welcomed. Dirk (Koetter) was the one who initiated it and I supported it. On the sideline, you get a chance to really feel the game and look in the eyes of the players you are working with. It just depends on the comfort level of the coordinator. Some like it in the box where they can see everything. Some like it on the sidelines. I’m comfortable with however the coordinator is most comfortable. He was excited about getting down there. I think we’ve liked that so far.”
On what he liked about offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter when he hired him and what made him think that Koetter could make the transition from college head coach to an NFL coordinator:
“He is a very bright guy. He has done a great job throughout his career. Offenses everywhere he’s been have been very productive. I actually met Dirk (Koetter) through (Bengals head coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator) Marvin Lewis years back. I actually went out there to clinic their defense a little bit. Our staff with the Ravens went out there and met with their staff when he was with Arizona State. I met him then. Then I started tracking him. Also, (Eagles head coach) Andy Reid is a friend of Dirk’s and a friend of mine. In getting background and research and what not, Andy spoke very highly of Dirk. He talked about how (Dirk’s) one of the smartest guys he has ever worked with. I brought him in for the interview and he was outstanding. I thought he was going to be a good fit for us and he has been.”
On if the decision to move RB Maurice Jones-Drew to a feature running back was a result of the team evolving or just trying to get Jones-Drew into that role:
“Probably both would apply. One, as a football team we are certainly evolving. I believe we had 22 new players on our roster last week going into that ballgame. There has been some dramatic turnover. I think part of that is recognizing that this is Maurice’s time to be more involved. (Former Jaguars RB) Fred Taylor is a great player and was a great Jaguar, but it was time for Maurice to be the guy. It was difficult to see Fred in a support role. Really, that was the crux of what we did there. Maurice is our guy. He got off to a solid start last week. He is a real fine player.”
On how the Jaguars try to replace DE Reggie Hayward, who was injured in last week’s game:
“We are going to work it the best we can. Atiyyah Ellison has had some snaps in Reggie’s spot. We will just fill in with the guys we have and do the best we can to carry on. That is what you do. We had more than our share last year. We certainly don’t want to see anything like that. Heck, last year, in our pregame warm-ups, I lost a guy. By the first quarter, I had three of my interior linemen out. Certainly, we didn’t have that kind of problem this week. We don’t want to have that kind of problem going forward.”
On how his two rookie offensive tackles performed against Indianapolis last week:
“In pure have to pass situations, not so good. The rest of the time, I thought they were solid. Those guys are pretty good that Indy has. That turf with the crowd noise in obvious passing situations, they can make life tough for you.”
On if it is important to have success on first and second downs:
“In Indy, you better. If you’re in third and long, you are going to see (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis all day. That is not good for anything you are trying to do offensively. That is as stiff a challenge as you will get, no question.”
On the problems the team is having with ticket sales and potential television blackouts:
“The way I feel about it is that the people who are able to come are fantastic. They are very supportive. They make a lot of noise. I appreciate them. Those who can’t make it, it is unfortunate. It is a tough time right now economically. Some people are faced with tough decisions and they are doing the best they can to do that. From my end I want to appreciate the ones who are here, hope that we put out a good product, and people will find a way somehow to get out there and support us. My focus really has to be on working on our football team.”
On what he sees in film from the Arizona defense:
“Not much room to run. They did an unbelievable job against a pretty good running football team in San Francisco. To have 25 rushing attempts and get 21 yards, that was a pretty solid effort. It was a pretty good way to start your season. I know they didn’t get the ‘W’, and that’s what we’re all after, but they played pretty well.”
On if he will be reliving stories of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe in which both he and Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt participated:
“He might. I won’t. He is the one who played well. I didn’t.”
On how hard it is to prepare for the Cardinals, especially since they only play once every four or five years:
“Obviously, we got to see them play in the Super Bowl last year. We have been hard at work getting prepared for them. They are not an opponent we play all the time. We are doing our best to study them and learn what they like to do and who they like to do it with. We understand that they have a lot of talent. They have eight Pro Bowlers on the squad. It is a very strong football team. We are getting ready to do well in our home opener.”
On if he agrees with Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt’s assessment that team’s get off to a slow start in week one because you haven’t seen much film from the other team:
“I think both of us experienced a weekend last week that did not go the way we wanted. From that standpoint, we would like to be a week better and find a way to get a victory this week.”
On if it was disappointing that the Jaguars had the ball at the end of the game with a chance to win but could not deliver:
“Sure it was. Not winning period was. We expected to go out and play well and find a way to win that game. We had some opportunities that we did not execute well enough to capitalize on. That is the way it goes. You get your chances and you have to execute when you get those opportunities.”
On his decision to bring offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter down from the booth to the sidelines:
“That was something I welcomed. Dirk (Koetter) was the one who initiated it and I supported it. On the sideline, you get a chance to really feel the game and look in the eyes of the players you are working with. It just depends on the comfort level of the coordinator. Some like it in the box where they can see everything. Some like it on the sidelines. I’m comfortable with however the coordinator is most comfortable. He was excited about getting down there. I think we’ve liked that so far.”
On what he liked about offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter when he hired him and what made him think that Koetter could make the transition from college head coach to an NFL coordinator:
“He is a very bright guy. He has done a great job throughout his career. Offenses everywhere he’s been have been very productive. I actually met Dirk (Koetter) through (Bengals head coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator) Marvin Lewis years back. I actually went out there to clinic their defense a little bit. Our staff with the Ravens went out there and met with their staff when he was with Arizona State. I met him then. Then I started tracking him. Also, (Eagles head coach) Andy Reid is a friend of Dirk’s and a friend of mine. In getting background and research and what not, Andy spoke very highly of Dirk. He talked about how (Dirk’s) one of the smartest guys he has ever worked with. I brought him in for the interview and he was outstanding. I thought he was going to be a good fit for us and he has been.”
On if the decision to move RB Maurice Jones-Drew to a feature running back was a result of the team evolving or just trying to get Jones-Drew into that role:
“Probably both would apply. One, as a football team we are certainly evolving. I believe we had 22 new players on our roster last week going into that ballgame. There has been some dramatic turnover. I think part of that is recognizing that this is Maurice’s time to be more involved. (Former Jaguars RB) Fred Taylor is a great player and was a great Jaguar, but it was time for Maurice to be the guy. It was difficult to see Fred in a support role. Really, that was the crux of what we did there. Maurice is our guy. He got off to a solid start last week. He is a real fine player.”
On how the Jaguars try to replace DE Reggie Hayward, who was injured in last week’s game:
“We are going to work it the best we can. Atiyyah Ellison has had some snaps in Reggie’s spot. We will just fill in with the guys we have and do the best we can to carry on. That is what you do. We had more than our share last year. We certainly don’t want to see anything like that. Heck, last year, in our pregame warm-ups, I lost a guy. By the first quarter, I had three of my interior linemen out. Certainly, we didn’t have that kind of problem this week. We don’t want to have that kind of problem going forward.”
On how his two rookie offensive tackles performed against Indianapolis last week:
“In pure have to pass situations, not so good. The rest of the time, I thought they were solid. Those guys are pretty good that Indy has. That turf with the crowd noise in obvious passing situations, they can make life tough for you.”
On if it is important to have success on first and second downs:
“In Indy, you better. If you’re in third and long, you are going to see (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis all day. That is not good for anything you are trying to do offensively. That is as stiff a challenge as you will get, no question.”
On the problems the team is having with ticket sales and potential television blackouts:
“The way I feel about it is that the people who are able to come are fantastic. They are very supportive. They make a lot of noise. I appreciate them. Those who can’t make it, it is unfortunate. It is a tough time right now economically. Some people are faced with tough decisions and they are doing the best they can to do that. From my end I want to appreciate the ones who are here, hope that we put out a good product, and people will find a way somehow to get out there and support us. My focus really has to be on working on our football team.”
On what he sees in film from the Arizona defense:
“Not much room to run. They did an unbelievable job against a pretty good running football team in San Francisco. To have 25 rushing attempts and get 21 yards, that was a pretty solid effort. It was a pretty good way to start your season. I know they didn’t get the ‘W’, and that’s what we’re all after, but they played pretty well.”
On if he will be reliving stories of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe in which both he and Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt participated:
“He might. I won’t. He is the one who played well. I didn’t.”
WEEK 2 - Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt -Ingles
Press Conference – Monday – 9/14/09
Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt
On the injury status of DE Kenny Iwebema:
“We are still waiting to find out about Kenny’s ankle. It is probably going to be at least this week. The only thing we are concerned with is if it’s a potential high ankle sprain, which we don’t know. We are waiting for the MRI results now. He fell on it and twisted it. Hopefully, it won’t be that bad.”
On the injury status of S Matt Ware:
“It is the same thing he had in the preseason game, a stinger. He has strength back in it today. We did the MRI and the results showed that. I think we are positive. I think now it is just a question of getting his strength back and being able to go. That will be something that will be determined as we progress this week.”
On his assessment of the team after one game:
“I think the important thing is that we clean up some of the mistakes that we made. Obviously, the penalties, 12 penalties, six of them were off-sides, three on offense, three on defense. If we can eliminate those things, which are in our control, then obviously it is a more manageable thing. I think we weren’t as sharp from a protection standpoint with our offensive line yesterday. That is an area that we will clean up. When you look at the tape, it is more about fundamentals than it is about getting beat physically. We didn’t get our hands up right and didn’t take the right set. We had some dropped balls. That is not something that we usually do. That is obviously something we can work on. Just play a little better offensively (and) in sync. Defensively, I felt like we did a good job. We cleaned some things up there and we had a pretty good performance. I think it is more about understanding that this is the first game of 16 games and that there were opportunities in that game to make plays and give us a chance to win it. We just have to work on those things.”
On what jumped out at him the most:
“Just opportunities that were there that we didn’t take. That is on both sides of the ball, not just offensively. If you think about the last scoring drive that San Francisco had, we had a chance to get a turnover twice. Once was obviously the interception that we didn’t make. If you’re going to be a good football team in this league, these games are so close and so hard to win, when you have opportunities to make those plays you have to make them. That’s in all facets of our game. Certainly offensively as well. We had chances to make catches. We had chances to make throws. We had some opportunities to make some really big runs if we would have made the right decision on some of the blocks. Those are all things that, if we had won the game, you would have looked at and said, ‘alright, we will get better at them.’ It just hurts when you lose the game because you see where you could have made a dramatic difference in the game.”
On why he feels the team struggled and had so many penalties:
“Part of the reason that the defense was so successful yesterday is that we were aggressive. We were fast. Sometimes that is going to happen, that you jump the count. That is something that we have to be better with. We have to be more disciplined on defense. I mentioned it before the game to our defense about being too emotional, too high. That is when we have those penalties. On offense, the two false starts by our tight ends were unacceptable. That is something we have worked on cleaning up and we are not going to tolerate that. The one with Mike Gandy where their defender came across the line, that is six one way, half a dozen of the other. He came out of his stance and you never know how that is going to be called. Those are things we are going to have to focus on and get better at.”
On if he was surprised to not have WR Steve Breaston available to play and how it affected his game planning on offense:
“Yeah, I was. It was tough. In retrospect I would have done a lot of different things. What really hurt us with Steve (Breaston) not going is that we had to shuffle a couple of guys around and put them in positions where they haven’t gotten reps during the week because Steve took a great number of our reps. When he came in Sunday and his knee was hurting and he was limited in his workout, we just couldn’t risk it. You always face the dilemma of time lost versus trying to play. Had it been a playoff game or a situation like that, there is no question that Steve would have gone. There is no question that it was too painful, too much risk to lose him long-term, to put him in there. When that happens, now you’re talking about putting Lance (Long) in there, talking about Anquan (Boldin), who didn’t practice a lot, being forced to play a little bit, Jerheme (Urban) starting at ‘Z’ for us in the game. I mean, Anquan started, but Jerheme played a number of reps at the ‘Z’ position for us. We had a number of guys playing out of their normal position. That will lend to us not being as sharp. Now, I’m not going to make an excuse because we have been able to overcome those things in the past. Let’s be clear: there were opportunities yesterday for us to overcome that and win the football game and we just didn’t get it done. I think that when looking at this game, we will have a clear picture of where we are going to go personnel-wise. As far as how we are going to design things offensively, we will make sure that we are better suited for the game. The reason we stayed with four-wides is because we are very good in that package and our quarterback operates very well. Once again, there were a number of opportunities to make plays in those packages yesterday. Had we protected a little bit better, which was a disappointment because we have shown that we could do that, I think it would have been different for us.”
On if he anticipates getting WR Steve Breaston back this week:
“Yeah, but we will have to see how it goes during the week. His knee feels a lot better today, and he will get reps. Potentially, if his knee is not as sore and he is not going to be at risk, he will play.”
On why QB Kurt Warner wasn’t as sharp as he has been in the past:
“He didn’t seem quite settled yesterday. Some of that was a function of having receivers in different spots, which is something we have talked about. You have to trust the guys that are in there. That is something that he has done in the past. Some of it was the protection. He wasn’t getting a lot of time and he was trying to make some plays that were tough because he was trying to make throws in anticipation and was still getting pressure in his face. It was a combination of a number of those things. I think we performed better in the second half. We did have a sustained drive. We had opportunities to make plays. I think we will continue to work on it and I have no doubt that we will get back in sync.”
On if he is confident that the team will remain level headed moving forward after this loss:
“Based on conversations that I had last night after the game, based on what was said in our team setting, I think they will. I think they understand that what happened to us yesterday was self inflicted. I’m not taking anything away from San Francisco. They played a good ballgame and they certainly won that game. I think that hopefully we are mature enough as a team that we will understand that we can handle and deal with that correctly, which I feel that we will.”
On if he felt that RB Tim Hightower made the right decisions running the ball, especially kicking it to the outside so often:
“I think that there were a number of holes inside and he got forced to bounce it outside because our secondary support blocking patterns weren’t as efficient as they needed to be. Some of that is because of reps with guys in a different position. In other words, when we have an outside receiver who is coming in to block a safety who is covering inside the hole, that forced him to bounce it outside to the corner who is unblocked. A lot of times, that is what made it look that way. I think one of the things we have done better in the preseason is that we have been able to hit those holes inside and Tim (Hightower) did that. That was a part of it. In watching the game yesterday and not watching the tape that was what it appeared to me. That he bounced a couple of them, which is something we have worked on with Tim. In watching the tape, he was forced to do that a couple of times. Let me tell you something. Tim played very hard in both running the ball and catching the ball. I commend him for that.”
On if the check down passes to RB Tim Hightower were a product of poor protection:
“I think the check-downs were more a product of their coverage. They were able to get pressure with four guys and they were dropping seven. A lot of times they were covering Larry (Fitzgerald) with two guys and trying to keep him from getting the ball. When that happens, it opens up the flat. We talked about that going in. We knew it was a part of the game that that was going to be something that, if we were disciplined enough to take those shots, we were going to get yardage with it. That wasn’t what was surprising. What was surprising was that they got pressure with the four man line.”
On if San Francisco was a better pass rushing team than he expected:
“We were playing against the same guys we have played against before as far as rushing off the edge, so there was no difference there. Once again, we didn’t play as well. Now, they rushed hard and they came after us. There were a lot of situations where we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t do the things that we needed to do technique-wise.”
On how he felt about the return game:
“I think in our punt return game, I don’t know for sure, but I think we averaged around 11 yards overall for the day, which for us is a significant improvement. I was pleased with that. I thought that Antrel (Rolle) fought hard and did a good job. He had one where he bobbled the ball a little bit and I wasn’t happy about it. Just from what I’ve seen with him having the ball in his hands, he is dynamic when he does that. I was pleased from that standpoint. In kickoff returns, their kicker did a nice job moving the ball around to different spots on the field which makes it hard. It is a little bit of a guessing game because if you are trying to return it left and he kicks it to the right, you have to come all the way across the field and that makes it difficult. I think that overall, I was pleased with what we did yesterday return-wise. I would have liked to have been a little better in kickoff return. As far as general special teams play, I thought we did a much better job yesterday as far as being consistent, especially with our coverage teams.”
On RB Beanie Wells’ performance:
“I saw a young player who I think will continue to improve. We had a play early in the game, one of his first plays in there, the one where Kurt (Warner) ended up taking a five-yard loss on, where he just took off and left Kurt. He was so anxious to get the ball and that hurt us because it put us in a long yardage situation that we didn’t need to be in. However, I also saw him get the ball and be a powerful inside runner. He came close to breaking a couple of runs that could have gone big. I am pleased with seeing him run the football. He did a much better job of running with ball security yesterday, tucking the ball, because that is one of the things that we worked on in camp. There were a lot of encouraging things with Beanie (Wells). He did a nice job on a blitz pickup yesterday, stepping up and taking on a defensive lineman when they did a twist-stunt, which is his responsibility. I have no doubt that he will continue to get better and I am excited to see that.”
On if he sees RB Beanie Wells becoming a bigger part of the offense:
“I think it is really going to depend on the game plan and what we are trying to do as far as trying to attack guys. Obviously we have some guys in some of our sub things that are pretty good receivers and have experience with that in the NFL. A lot of that is going to be determined by what we are doing game plan-wise.”
On the back-to-back false start and holding penalties on first down near the end of the game:
“You can’t do that. First of all, our punter (Ben Graham) kicked a fantastic punt and got them pinned down there tight. Our defense did their job and stopped them. We got the ball back and got it to the 39-yard line. That is what you want. That is how you win games in the NFL. To get that five-yard false start penalty is completely unacceptable and then to get a holding after that. To be first-and-25, it makes it so much harder on yourselves to do that. Now, we got it back to third-and-five and then fourth-and-five, but we didn’t execute. We didn’t make the plays, which we should have done. It shouldn’t have ever come to that. It shouldn’t have been a situation like that. So I’m still very angry about that because, once again, those are two things that are self inflicted that was the difference in the ballgame.”
On if he is concerned that SS Adrian Wilson will get a fined for his personal foul hit:
“In looking at that play, Adrian (Wilson) tried to hit him with his shoulder, tried to hit him in his chest. The player caught the ball, jumped forward, and was coming down. It is unfortunate. Those are very tough things. I certainly understand player safety and what they are trying to do. It happens very fast. I believe, in watching Adrian and him trying to lean in with his shoulder instead of leading with his head, he was trying to do the right thing. I really didn’t put that much thought into it on the field yesterday. Hopefully it won’t be an issue. I just don’t know what you do there. When a player jumps up in the air to catch a ball it is your job as a defender to break that up. Once again, I understand player safety with a defenseless receiver, and I certainly agree with that. I just think you look at what he was trying to do, and once again, from what I saw watching the tape, he turned his shoulder and tried to hit him in the midsection. If you look at the play where Anquan (Boldin) got hit last year, it is two different type things. Hopefully, there won’t be anything from that.”
On if QB Kurt Warner not being settled in had a lot to do with the personnel changes:
“I think some of it is. Kurt (Warner) is such an accurate thrower. He wants to get the ball out of his hands quick. So it is important to him that he has a sense of timing with the receivers that are playing. A lot of that is getting reps with guys on the field. He hasn’t had a lot of reps with Lance (Long) in the preseason. He hasn’t gotten a lot of reps with Jerheme (Urban) playing the ‘Z’ for us in that set. Once again, I’m not trying to make excuses for Kurt because he can still operate and make those throws, but with four wide receivers normally, he knows where they are and what to expect in those situations. The thing that Kurt really does well is understand coverages. A lot of times, when he gets the ball, he knows where he wants to go with it. A lot of times, it’s a matchup thing. He will see a coverage, he’ll know what he’s got, and that’s where he looks to attack. I’m sure that got him a little bit out of his rhythm for doing that yesterday. Once again, I’m not trying to make excuses, but that is what I would see as part of the issue.”
On the technique issues that the offensive line had in blocking:
“There were times when they got pressure with four. There were times when they didn’t. It wasn’t an every snap thing. The biggest thing was that it was a combination of footwork, taking your set, and also your hands. It also wasn’t just one guy. There were a couple of guys that did that during the course of the game. One of the things is you can’t be late with your hands, especially with a speed rusher off the edge because he gets past you and that is when he can turn the corner. That is one of the things we will have to work on this week.”
On why 49ers RB Frank Gore was so open on his game-winning touchdown catch:
“Mental error. We just had a player in the wrong position. He was supposed to cover that and it was a mental mistake. It is one of those things that you can’t do. You can play the best defense that you want for the whole game, but when it comes to a critical play like that (you have to be in the right position). On that drive when they scored that touchdown, we had opportunities to get off the field. We had a chance to intercept the ball and we had three mental errors. That was one that cost us. A couple of the third down conversions were mental mistakes. A couple of those were good plays by them. They got it and made the catch and got it right there on the first down.”
On how the 49ers 80-yard fourth quarter drive tarnishes his opinion of the defenses performance:
“It certainly hurts because they played so well all day. A 15 play, 80-yard drive to score a touchdown does affect your judgment of the overall day. But listen, we had the ball back with seven minutes left in the game and we had a chance to score a touchdown and win the game. I certainly don’t blame the defense for that. They kept us in the game in the first half and played very well. If we can hold teams to 203 yards of total offense, and we get our offense going, which I expect us to do; we are going to win some games.”
On if he liked what he saw overall from the defense:
“If you take away the 80-yard drive and the 50-yard pass, that is 130 yards. We’re talking about not a whole lot of offense in the other times. Yeah, I feel good about what they did. I feel good about stopping the run. San Francisco made it very public that they were going to try to come in and run the ball on us and our guys answered that challenge. They played with discipline and played very well.”
On if WR Anquan Boldin made it through the game without any further damage to his hamstring:
“He is a little sore today, which you expect. But yeah, he had no setbacks in the game. Anquan (Boldin) was a warrior. We needed him to play and he went out there and fought throughout the game.”
On how far away WR Anquan Boldin is from being 100%:
“There were plays where he was okay and there were plays where you could see it. That was a function of the number of reps that he got. He played hard. He made a couple of catches for us. I think certainly we would have had a tougher day had Anquan (Boldin) not played. I really respect the fact that he did suit up and play for us.”
On if, prior to the game, he had planned to sit WR Anquan Boldin and play WR Steve Breaston:
“We obviously planned to play (Steve) Breaston because he practiced all week and was ready to go. Like we said, we were going to work Anquan (Boldin) out. Anquan worked out and felt good. He felt like he could go and it was going to be close. I think we would have been able to control his reps and obviously with Steve in there and Jerheme (Urban) in there it would have been a much more comfortable situation as far as guys being in their normal spots.”
On how the conversation went with WR Steve Breaston and WR Anquan Boldin after finding out that Breaston couldn’t go:
“It was tough because it was right before we had to turn in the inactives. (Anquan Boldin) came off the field and it went well. ‘Q’ said, ‘I’ll play.’ We talked about what we were going to do and how we were going to try to make sure that we didn’t put him in a situation where he would re-injure it because that was obviously part of the thinking. ‘Q’ was very unselfish and wanted to play.”
On how often he has seen WR Anquan Boldin play hurt and be unselfish for the team:
“Quite a bit. Like I have said, there is no questioning Anquan’s toughness.”
On QB Kurt Warner’s injury to his hand before the end of the first half:
“He had a stinger which caused some numbness down his hand. On that last play before the half where we were trying to throw the ball to Larry (Fitzgerald), he was a little bit high on that throw, and I have no doubt that it was because (Kurt) was still feeling some numbness in his fingers because of the stinger, as they call it. He has no affects of that today. I don’t anticipate that it is going to be an issue.”
On if he liked the way that LB Gerald Hayes and DL Alan Branch played:
“Yeah, I did. I certainly liked what I saw out of Alan (Branch). He showed up as a big guy playing some tackle and some end for us. Gerald (Hayes) has been playing very well for us.”
On the idea that the Cardinals will be getting every team’s best shot because of their success last season:
“I think that we are always going to get San Francisco’s best shot. That is our history in the past four games that we’ve played them. Just like they are going to get our best shot. It is a physical game that comes down to the end. I don’t think that is really a thought or a concern. We have to play our game. We have to play better than we did yesterday. That is really what it all comes down to. I think we have the ability to do that. We will work on it and we will get back to good football.”
On if 49ers CB Nate Clements matches up well against WR Larry Fitzgerald giving his recent success against Larry:
“I don’t necessarily know that it is an individual matchup because there were a lot of times yesterday that Nate (Clements) wasn’t on Larry (Fitzgerald). It is more of a coverage thing that they do. They made a concerted effort to have a guy underneath and a guy overtop of Larry. They were trying to take him out of the game. We moved Larry around some, especially in the second half, and he caught some balls. That is kind of the way it goes. We had other opportunities with players and we didn’t get it done. That is what’s disappointing.”
On if he expects other teams to focus on trying to stop WR Larry Fitzgerald:
“We faced that in the playoffs, and we were able to find a way to still continue to do things with him and we will continue to work on that.”
On if QB Kurt Warner needs more time in the pocket when Larry is double-covered all the time:
“Not necessarily. There are certain things we do where you get the ball out quick. There are some play action things that we do where you can take shots down the field like we did in the postseason last year. I think that those are all going to be things we incorporate as we go forward. There were a number of reasons yesterday why we weren’t as effective as we needed to be offensively.”
On if the offensive struggles are a major concern since it started in the preseason and lingered Sunday:
“People are trying to make a story about it. From what I have seen in practice, I know we haven’t performed the way we think we should have in the opening game. I believe that we will improve and play better. The one that I did like is that we did operate in the third quarter and up until that last drive, we did make some plays. Once again, if we are not facing first-and-25 there at the 39, I have no doubts that we are going to move the ball down and score. We did come out of it a little bit and we will learn a lot from this game and continue to improve.”
Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt
On the injury status of DE Kenny Iwebema:
“We are still waiting to find out about Kenny’s ankle. It is probably going to be at least this week. The only thing we are concerned with is if it’s a potential high ankle sprain, which we don’t know. We are waiting for the MRI results now. He fell on it and twisted it. Hopefully, it won’t be that bad.”
On the injury status of S Matt Ware:
“It is the same thing he had in the preseason game, a stinger. He has strength back in it today. We did the MRI and the results showed that. I think we are positive. I think now it is just a question of getting his strength back and being able to go. That will be something that will be determined as we progress this week.”
On his assessment of the team after one game:
“I think the important thing is that we clean up some of the mistakes that we made. Obviously, the penalties, 12 penalties, six of them were off-sides, three on offense, three on defense. If we can eliminate those things, which are in our control, then obviously it is a more manageable thing. I think we weren’t as sharp from a protection standpoint with our offensive line yesterday. That is an area that we will clean up. When you look at the tape, it is more about fundamentals than it is about getting beat physically. We didn’t get our hands up right and didn’t take the right set. We had some dropped balls. That is not something that we usually do. That is obviously something we can work on. Just play a little better offensively (and) in sync. Defensively, I felt like we did a good job. We cleaned some things up there and we had a pretty good performance. I think it is more about understanding that this is the first game of 16 games and that there were opportunities in that game to make plays and give us a chance to win it. We just have to work on those things.”
On what jumped out at him the most:
“Just opportunities that were there that we didn’t take. That is on both sides of the ball, not just offensively. If you think about the last scoring drive that San Francisco had, we had a chance to get a turnover twice. Once was obviously the interception that we didn’t make. If you’re going to be a good football team in this league, these games are so close and so hard to win, when you have opportunities to make those plays you have to make them. That’s in all facets of our game. Certainly offensively as well. We had chances to make catches. We had chances to make throws. We had some opportunities to make some really big runs if we would have made the right decision on some of the blocks. Those are all things that, if we had won the game, you would have looked at and said, ‘alright, we will get better at them.’ It just hurts when you lose the game because you see where you could have made a dramatic difference in the game.”
On why he feels the team struggled and had so many penalties:
“Part of the reason that the defense was so successful yesterday is that we were aggressive. We were fast. Sometimes that is going to happen, that you jump the count. That is something that we have to be better with. We have to be more disciplined on defense. I mentioned it before the game to our defense about being too emotional, too high. That is when we have those penalties. On offense, the two false starts by our tight ends were unacceptable. That is something we have worked on cleaning up and we are not going to tolerate that. The one with Mike Gandy where their defender came across the line, that is six one way, half a dozen of the other. He came out of his stance and you never know how that is going to be called. Those are things we are going to have to focus on and get better at.”
On if he was surprised to not have WR Steve Breaston available to play and how it affected his game planning on offense:
“Yeah, I was. It was tough. In retrospect I would have done a lot of different things. What really hurt us with Steve (Breaston) not going is that we had to shuffle a couple of guys around and put them in positions where they haven’t gotten reps during the week because Steve took a great number of our reps. When he came in Sunday and his knee was hurting and he was limited in his workout, we just couldn’t risk it. You always face the dilemma of time lost versus trying to play. Had it been a playoff game or a situation like that, there is no question that Steve would have gone. There is no question that it was too painful, too much risk to lose him long-term, to put him in there. When that happens, now you’re talking about putting Lance (Long) in there, talking about Anquan (Boldin), who didn’t practice a lot, being forced to play a little bit, Jerheme (Urban) starting at ‘Z’ for us in the game. I mean, Anquan started, but Jerheme played a number of reps at the ‘Z’ position for us. We had a number of guys playing out of their normal position. That will lend to us not being as sharp. Now, I’m not going to make an excuse because we have been able to overcome those things in the past. Let’s be clear: there were opportunities yesterday for us to overcome that and win the football game and we just didn’t get it done. I think that when looking at this game, we will have a clear picture of where we are going to go personnel-wise. As far as how we are going to design things offensively, we will make sure that we are better suited for the game. The reason we stayed with four-wides is because we are very good in that package and our quarterback operates very well. Once again, there were a number of opportunities to make plays in those packages yesterday. Had we protected a little bit better, which was a disappointment because we have shown that we could do that, I think it would have been different for us.”
On if he anticipates getting WR Steve Breaston back this week:
“Yeah, but we will have to see how it goes during the week. His knee feels a lot better today, and he will get reps. Potentially, if his knee is not as sore and he is not going to be at risk, he will play.”
On why QB Kurt Warner wasn’t as sharp as he has been in the past:
“He didn’t seem quite settled yesterday. Some of that was a function of having receivers in different spots, which is something we have talked about. You have to trust the guys that are in there. That is something that he has done in the past. Some of it was the protection. He wasn’t getting a lot of time and he was trying to make some plays that were tough because he was trying to make throws in anticipation and was still getting pressure in his face. It was a combination of a number of those things. I think we performed better in the second half. We did have a sustained drive. We had opportunities to make plays. I think we will continue to work on it and I have no doubt that we will get back in sync.”
On if he is confident that the team will remain level headed moving forward after this loss:
“Based on conversations that I had last night after the game, based on what was said in our team setting, I think they will. I think they understand that what happened to us yesterday was self inflicted. I’m not taking anything away from San Francisco. They played a good ballgame and they certainly won that game. I think that hopefully we are mature enough as a team that we will understand that we can handle and deal with that correctly, which I feel that we will.”
On if he felt that RB Tim Hightower made the right decisions running the ball, especially kicking it to the outside so often:
“I think that there were a number of holes inside and he got forced to bounce it outside because our secondary support blocking patterns weren’t as efficient as they needed to be. Some of that is because of reps with guys in a different position. In other words, when we have an outside receiver who is coming in to block a safety who is covering inside the hole, that forced him to bounce it outside to the corner who is unblocked. A lot of times, that is what made it look that way. I think one of the things we have done better in the preseason is that we have been able to hit those holes inside and Tim (Hightower) did that. That was a part of it. In watching the game yesterday and not watching the tape that was what it appeared to me. That he bounced a couple of them, which is something we have worked on with Tim. In watching the tape, he was forced to do that a couple of times. Let me tell you something. Tim played very hard in both running the ball and catching the ball. I commend him for that.”
On if the check down passes to RB Tim Hightower were a product of poor protection:
“I think the check-downs were more a product of their coverage. They were able to get pressure with four guys and they were dropping seven. A lot of times they were covering Larry (Fitzgerald) with two guys and trying to keep him from getting the ball. When that happens, it opens up the flat. We talked about that going in. We knew it was a part of the game that that was going to be something that, if we were disciplined enough to take those shots, we were going to get yardage with it. That wasn’t what was surprising. What was surprising was that they got pressure with the four man line.”
On if San Francisco was a better pass rushing team than he expected:
“We were playing against the same guys we have played against before as far as rushing off the edge, so there was no difference there. Once again, we didn’t play as well. Now, they rushed hard and they came after us. There were a lot of situations where we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t do the things that we needed to do technique-wise.”
On how he felt about the return game:
“I think in our punt return game, I don’t know for sure, but I think we averaged around 11 yards overall for the day, which for us is a significant improvement. I was pleased with that. I thought that Antrel (Rolle) fought hard and did a good job. He had one where he bobbled the ball a little bit and I wasn’t happy about it. Just from what I’ve seen with him having the ball in his hands, he is dynamic when he does that. I was pleased from that standpoint. In kickoff returns, their kicker did a nice job moving the ball around to different spots on the field which makes it hard. It is a little bit of a guessing game because if you are trying to return it left and he kicks it to the right, you have to come all the way across the field and that makes it difficult. I think that overall, I was pleased with what we did yesterday return-wise. I would have liked to have been a little better in kickoff return. As far as general special teams play, I thought we did a much better job yesterday as far as being consistent, especially with our coverage teams.”
On RB Beanie Wells’ performance:
“I saw a young player who I think will continue to improve. We had a play early in the game, one of his first plays in there, the one where Kurt (Warner) ended up taking a five-yard loss on, where he just took off and left Kurt. He was so anxious to get the ball and that hurt us because it put us in a long yardage situation that we didn’t need to be in. However, I also saw him get the ball and be a powerful inside runner. He came close to breaking a couple of runs that could have gone big. I am pleased with seeing him run the football. He did a much better job of running with ball security yesterday, tucking the ball, because that is one of the things that we worked on in camp. There were a lot of encouraging things with Beanie (Wells). He did a nice job on a blitz pickup yesterday, stepping up and taking on a defensive lineman when they did a twist-stunt, which is his responsibility. I have no doubt that he will continue to get better and I am excited to see that.”
On if he sees RB Beanie Wells becoming a bigger part of the offense:
“I think it is really going to depend on the game plan and what we are trying to do as far as trying to attack guys. Obviously we have some guys in some of our sub things that are pretty good receivers and have experience with that in the NFL. A lot of that is going to be determined by what we are doing game plan-wise.”
On the back-to-back false start and holding penalties on first down near the end of the game:
“You can’t do that. First of all, our punter (Ben Graham) kicked a fantastic punt and got them pinned down there tight. Our defense did their job and stopped them. We got the ball back and got it to the 39-yard line. That is what you want. That is how you win games in the NFL. To get that five-yard false start penalty is completely unacceptable and then to get a holding after that. To be first-and-25, it makes it so much harder on yourselves to do that. Now, we got it back to third-and-five and then fourth-and-five, but we didn’t execute. We didn’t make the plays, which we should have done. It shouldn’t have ever come to that. It shouldn’t have been a situation like that. So I’m still very angry about that because, once again, those are two things that are self inflicted that was the difference in the ballgame.”
On if he is concerned that SS Adrian Wilson will get a fined for his personal foul hit:
“In looking at that play, Adrian (Wilson) tried to hit him with his shoulder, tried to hit him in his chest. The player caught the ball, jumped forward, and was coming down. It is unfortunate. Those are very tough things. I certainly understand player safety and what they are trying to do. It happens very fast. I believe, in watching Adrian and him trying to lean in with his shoulder instead of leading with his head, he was trying to do the right thing. I really didn’t put that much thought into it on the field yesterday. Hopefully it won’t be an issue. I just don’t know what you do there. When a player jumps up in the air to catch a ball it is your job as a defender to break that up. Once again, I understand player safety with a defenseless receiver, and I certainly agree with that. I just think you look at what he was trying to do, and once again, from what I saw watching the tape, he turned his shoulder and tried to hit him in the midsection. If you look at the play where Anquan (Boldin) got hit last year, it is two different type things. Hopefully, there won’t be anything from that.”
On if QB Kurt Warner not being settled in had a lot to do with the personnel changes:
“I think some of it is. Kurt (Warner) is such an accurate thrower. He wants to get the ball out of his hands quick. So it is important to him that he has a sense of timing with the receivers that are playing. A lot of that is getting reps with guys on the field. He hasn’t had a lot of reps with Lance (Long) in the preseason. He hasn’t gotten a lot of reps with Jerheme (Urban) playing the ‘Z’ for us in that set. Once again, I’m not trying to make excuses for Kurt because he can still operate and make those throws, but with four wide receivers normally, he knows where they are and what to expect in those situations. The thing that Kurt really does well is understand coverages. A lot of times, when he gets the ball, he knows where he wants to go with it. A lot of times, it’s a matchup thing. He will see a coverage, he’ll know what he’s got, and that’s where he looks to attack. I’m sure that got him a little bit out of his rhythm for doing that yesterday. Once again, I’m not trying to make excuses, but that is what I would see as part of the issue.”
On the technique issues that the offensive line had in blocking:
“There were times when they got pressure with four. There were times when they didn’t. It wasn’t an every snap thing. The biggest thing was that it was a combination of footwork, taking your set, and also your hands. It also wasn’t just one guy. There were a couple of guys that did that during the course of the game. One of the things is you can’t be late with your hands, especially with a speed rusher off the edge because he gets past you and that is when he can turn the corner. That is one of the things we will have to work on this week.”
On why 49ers RB Frank Gore was so open on his game-winning touchdown catch:
“Mental error. We just had a player in the wrong position. He was supposed to cover that and it was a mental mistake. It is one of those things that you can’t do. You can play the best defense that you want for the whole game, but when it comes to a critical play like that (you have to be in the right position). On that drive when they scored that touchdown, we had opportunities to get off the field. We had a chance to intercept the ball and we had three mental errors. That was one that cost us. A couple of the third down conversions were mental mistakes. A couple of those were good plays by them. They got it and made the catch and got it right there on the first down.”
On how the 49ers 80-yard fourth quarter drive tarnishes his opinion of the defenses performance:
“It certainly hurts because they played so well all day. A 15 play, 80-yard drive to score a touchdown does affect your judgment of the overall day. But listen, we had the ball back with seven minutes left in the game and we had a chance to score a touchdown and win the game. I certainly don’t blame the defense for that. They kept us in the game in the first half and played very well. If we can hold teams to 203 yards of total offense, and we get our offense going, which I expect us to do; we are going to win some games.”
On if he liked what he saw overall from the defense:
“If you take away the 80-yard drive and the 50-yard pass, that is 130 yards. We’re talking about not a whole lot of offense in the other times. Yeah, I feel good about what they did. I feel good about stopping the run. San Francisco made it very public that they were going to try to come in and run the ball on us and our guys answered that challenge. They played with discipline and played very well.”
On if WR Anquan Boldin made it through the game without any further damage to his hamstring:
“He is a little sore today, which you expect. But yeah, he had no setbacks in the game. Anquan (Boldin) was a warrior. We needed him to play and he went out there and fought throughout the game.”
On how far away WR Anquan Boldin is from being 100%:
“There were plays where he was okay and there were plays where you could see it. That was a function of the number of reps that he got. He played hard. He made a couple of catches for us. I think certainly we would have had a tougher day had Anquan (Boldin) not played. I really respect the fact that he did suit up and play for us.”
On if, prior to the game, he had planned to sit WR Anquan Boldin and play WR Steve Breaston:
“We obviously planned to play (Steve) Breaston because he practiced all week and was ready to go. Like we said, we were going to work Anquan (Boldin) out. Anquan worked out and felt good. He felt like he could go and it was going to be close. I think we would have been able to control his reps and obviously with Steve in there and Jerheme (Urban) in there it would have been a much more comfortable situation as far as guys being in their normal spots.”
On how the conversation went with WR Steve Breaston and WR Anquan Boldin after finding out that Breaston couldn’t go:
“It was tough because it was right before we had to turn in the inactives. (Anquan Boldin) came off the field and it went well. ‘Q’ said, ‘I’ll play.’ We talked about what we were going to do and how we were going to try to make sure that we didn’t put him in a situation where he would re-injure it because that was obviously part of the thinking. ‘Q’ was very unselfish and wanted to play.”
On how often he has seen WR Anquan Boldin play hurt and be unselfish for the team:
“Quite a bit. Like I have said, there is no questioning Anquan’s toughness.”
On QB Kurt Warner’s injury to his hand before the end of the first half:
“He had a stinger which caused some numbness down his hand. On that last play before the half where we were trying to throw the ball to Larry (Fitzgerald), he was a little bit high on that throw, and I have no doubt that it was because (Kurt) was still feeling some numbness in his fingers because of the stinger, as they call it. He has no affects of that today. I don’t anticipate that it is going to be an issue.”
On if he liked the way that LB Gerald Hayes and DL Alan Branch played:
“Yeah, I did. I certainly liked what I saw out of Alan (Branch). He showed up as a big guy playing some tackle and some end for us. Gerald (Hayes) has been playing very well for us.”
On the idea that the Cardinals will be getting every team’s best shot because of their success last season:
“I think that we are always going to get San Francisco’s best shot. That is our history in the past four games that we’ve played them. Just like they are going to get our best shot. It is a physical game that comes down to the end. I don’t think that is really a thought or a concern. We have to play our game. We have to play better than we did yesterday. That is really what it all comes down to. I think we have the ability to do that. We will work on it and we will get back to good football.”
On if 49ers CB Nate Clements matches up well against WR Larry Fitzgerald giving his recent success against Larry:
“I don’t necessarily know that it is an individual matchup because there were a lot of times yesterday that Nate (Clements) wasn’t on Larry (Fitzgerald). It is more of a coverage thing that they do. They made a concerted effort to have a guy underneath and a guy overtop of Larry. They were trying to take him out of the game. We moved Larry around some, especially in the second half, and he caught some balls. That is kind of the way it goes. We had other opportunities with players and we didn’t get it done. That is what’s disappointing.”
On if he expects other teams to focus on trying to stop WR Larry Fitzgerald:
“We faced that in the playoffs, and we were able to find a way to still continue to do things with him and we will continue to work on that.”
On if QB Kurt Warner needs more time in the pocket when Larry is double-covered all the time:
“Not necessarily. There are certain things we do where you get the ball out quick. There are some play action things that we do where you can take shots down the field like we did in the postseason last year. I think that those are all going to be things we incorporate as we go forward. There were a number of reasons yesterday why we weren’t as effective as we needed to be offensively.”
On if the offensive struggles are a major concern since it started in the preseason and lingered Sunday:
“People are trying to make a story about it. From what I have seen in practice, I know we haven’t performed the way we think we should have in the opening game. I believe that we will improve and play better. The one that I did like is that we did operate in the third quarter and up until that last drive, we did make some plays. Once again, if we are not facing first-and-25 there at the 39, I have no doubts that we are going to move the ball down and score. We did come out of it a little bit and we will learn a lot from this game and continue to improve.”
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