Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook answered a lot of questions about Vikings head coach Brad Childress and his familiarity with the Eagles offensive and defensive systems. They also talked more about the struggles in the red zone.
Head Coach Andy Reid Press Conference
10/24/07
Injuries:
“Those players not practicing today are [T] Jon Runyan, and [LB] Takeo [Spikes] went through the walkthrough this morning, but he probably won’t do much this afternoon.”
Opening Remarks:
“Again, we look forward to the challenge of playing the Minnesota Vikings up in their dome there. It’s a loud and exciting place to play. [They have] a tremendous defense and an offense that’s getting better every day. [Vikings head coach] Brad’s [Childress] doing a nice job with that football team and my hat’s off to him in his second year up there taking the steps forward that he has.”
On whether TE L.J. Smith and FS Brian Dawkins will practice this week:
“They’ll practice today and we’ll just see how they do here.”
On whether there is an advantage or disadvantage with Childress knowing their personnel really well:
“I don’t think it hurts. There’s probably a bit of an advantage just from that standpoint but it really comes down to execution on both teams. We understand their scheme and so on. But, to say that there’s no advantage at all of knowing the player that’s not necessarily right for me to say that either. I think it just comes down to, when you’re playing games like this it’s a matter of who executes the best, as it is for most games.”
On whether Dawkins will practice today:
“Well, we’re going to see how he does and how he feels out there. It might be similar to what he did last week where he practiced the full practice he just wasn’t on the defensive side with the line.”
On what the result was after other times he brought the team in on a Monday to review the film:
“We’ve done that after losses before just to make sure we had an opportunity to get in, and go back over it, and review it, and learn from it and get rid of it. I can’t tell you that I’ve kept notes on the results of it. I think every game’s different anyways. I think it’s just important that you evaluate it and learn from it. That’s the primary reason we did that.”
On what situations QB Donovan McNabb would be most effective in:
“He just continues to play. He’s getting better every week. He just keeps firing and that’s the important thing. He’s doing a nice of leading this football team.”
On what he looks for to make sure the team has moved beyond the loss on Sunday:
“They are in good spirits. They know what they need to do. They face the reality of their record and that’s what it is. There’s nothing you can do looking back on it. They understand that. They are looking forward to moving on and making sure they get themselves ready for the Minnesota Vikings.”
On who will play if Spikes cannot:
“He’s going to play.”
On the problems with the Vikings pass defense:
“They do a great job up front of pressuring the quarterback. They’ve given up a couple big plays that I think have hurt them. Other than that, they’ve been very sound, very aggressive back there. They play a lot of Tampa-2 on first and second downs where they don’t give up many big plays. They’ve gotten hurt a little bit on single safety middle situations, but they don’t do a lot of that. That’s not their primary thing.”
On whether they will simulate the noise this week:
“If we go inside, we will today. If not, we’ll wait until later in the week to do it. But, it’s all set up to do that, yes.”
On how they approach the Viking’s run-oriented offense:
“They’ve got a young quarterback. He’s going through that progression that young quarterbacks do. He’s a very intelligent guy, very talented. He’s going to continue to get better the more he plays. He’s just off by a little bit, but it’s more of an opportunity to play more than anything else, just that experience.”
On whether the Vikings offense is one dimensional with more emphasis on the run:
“I don’t know, those two runners that they hand ball to are pretty good. Obviously, the rookie [that] scored a couple touchdowns here, he’s a good football player.”
On whether he makes sure the players are not distracted by the negative attention they’ve been getting:
“Absolutely. There are going to be a lot of negative things out there and that’s part of this business. You learn to handle that. That’s part of the job. On the other side of that, I think it’s important to know the positive side, that people are passionate about the football team. It would be similar to what the players feel, they are passionate about the football team. You have something in common there and you’ve got to go out and take care of business. That’s what you have to do.”
On whether he has to make sure the players know that he is here to stay:
“(Jokingly) I’m hard to miss.”
On how he has learned to stay even-keel and always stay focused on the task ahead of them:
“I think it’s important. I think a little bit of that is when you’re an offensive lineman, you have to maintain that. You get yourself out of control, you don’t control that little 3×3 box that you’re in, then you’ve got a problem. You’ve got to have a little bit of a controlled intensity there and it goes a long way. I think it’s the same as coaching. If you get too high or too low, the players are all looking at you. I stand out there in front of them every day. After nine years they’re going to have a pretty good idea on how you feel. It’s important, I think, in this league that you have a short memory and you learn from your mistakes and you move on. It’s that simple. It’s also a tough thing to do facing the fact that you’ve made some mistakes and you’ve got to correct them. You’ve got to look at that reality.”
On what advice he gave to Childress before he went to Minnesota:
“Just to be himself, primary thing. Don’t change.”
On how often he and Childress talk to each other:
“We probably talk once a week.”
On whether he gives Childress advice through the hard times:
“We talk. We’re all different. If you’re not there living it, it’s hard to communicate that to somebody. If there’s been a similar problem, he’ll ask how we handled it or remember how we handled it and put that in his memory bank and use it, I’m sure.”
On how similar their offenses are:
“Similar schemes. Then the passes that they are doing are similar, [they have] a little bit of a Green Bay flare that [offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell] brought with him and he’s got a little bit from different groups. The primary part of it is what we did here.”
On whether they will build on that last touchdown drive from Sunday:
“I think it’s important to build on it, that we actually got it into the endzone, that we did move the ball down the field. I think those are positive things that you can build on. I mentioned on Monday that you take those experiences and you keep working on them and get better at what you’re doing.”
On how impressed he is with RB Adrian Peterson:
“I think he’s of a heck of player. It’s not something that’s new to anybody in this room. He did this as a freshman at Oklahoma and he did it the remaining years that he was there. He just transferred it right over to the National Football League. He’s a special player.”
On why there are big drives but few big plays offensively:
“We’ve got to do better up front on both sides. It is tough. It’s tough to put together drives that are consistent X number of plays and not be able to strike on big ones every once in a while. But, it also takes a little mental toughness to do that and preparation. If teams are going to play you soft then that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to make sure you execute the right way.”
On whether they will put a more explosive player at kick returner:
“(Jokingly) Like [RB/KR Correll] Buckhalter? Yeah, he’s doing pretty good.”
On whether he will have a better gauge of Dawkins this week:
“He is getting better. He’s better than he was last week. Is he completely back, 100%? No. We’ll let him run around out there and see how he feels as he goes through the next couple of days. [He’ll] do most of it on the scout team. If he can transfer it over and we feel comfortable with that, then he can come over on the side there and work with the number one defense. But, right now we’re going to keep bringing him back here and making sure he’s 100% healthy.
On how tough it is for Dawkins to sit out:
“It’s driving him crazy. He loves to play the game. He wants to be out there more than anybody.”
On whether Runyan’s injury is lingering:
“(Jokingly) It’s going to be a pain in the rear for a couple of weeks.”
QB Donovan McNabb Press Conference
10-24-07
On whether he notices a change in atmosphere surrounding the team:
“When you play a game the way the game was played on Sunday, you can’t wait to get back out on the field. What I see is a different approach for guys, and their attitudes are a little different, to go out and change the result of what happened last weekend. One, that’s tough to swallow, but the good thing about this league is that there are 16 guaranteed games. So, you have to have a short memory, be able to put that behind you, and move on.”
On how much of an adjustment it has been facing softer defensive coverages:
“Well, we kind of created a big-play offense across the league. People know that and, at some point, we’re going to try to go deep and come with a big play. Teams have softened their coverage to eliminate that, where we’ve had to throw underneath. They do the same thing in the red zone. From understanding that, there are going to be times where we have to throw four or five-yard routes, or run the ball a little bit more than we usually do. I think that’s something we will eventually do, to try and get them out of that and score points in the process. Teams are softening up their coverages in the red zone to eliminate that big pass play.”
On whether it’s tough facing long drives without big plays:
“It is tough, but you’ve got to be patient and real methodical. In that way, just continue to get first downs and get yourself in that position. We’ve been able to do that. Field position is something where we’re not starting the ball on the 40 or 35 [yard line]. We’re having to go 85 to 90-yards at times, and we’ve been very successful with that. Now we just have to be able to capitalize on that. When we get that big drive, [we have to] be able to get that ball in the endzone.”
On how tough it is operating in the red zone:
“It is. In some ways it is congested, but you want to give your guys opportunities to catch the ball, make a guy miss, and get yards for you. When you get those plays where you’re driving, eating up yards, putting yourself in that position, you have to keep that same mentality that there are going to be things in the back of the endzone, things in front where you’re going to have to catch the ball, make a guy miss, and get what you can get. If it calls for us to do what we’ve been doing with the shorter routes and give those guys opportunities or run the ball, then that’s what we’re going to have to do. But, we have to do it successfully.”
On whether there is anything specific he learned from Vikings head coach Brad Childress while Childress was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Eagles:
“A lot of it is just patience. Brad is a stickler on being patient and taking what the defense gives you. That’s kind of been my approach throughout my career. If nothing’s there, check it down to the back or tight end and give them opportunities. He’s a guy that helped me in so many ways in knowing how to prepare and knowing that, going into games, you may see some things you did not see on film, and be able to adjust. Another is creating a big work ethic to be prepared for anything, so that the other guys will begin to see that and follow. Brad is a guy I continue to talk to ever since he’s left here. You want him to have success over there because he’s a disciplinarian. He wants to set the tone for his guys so that they will understand that success is not something that’s far away. You can have success if you prepare to have success.”
On how they approached playing against Chicago’s Cover 2 defense:
“When you play a cover 2, there are some opportunities to take downfield, but the way we tried to handle it was- especially against the Bears- if there were opportunities on the outside, take full advantage of them. I think we did, hitting [WR] Kevin Curtis and [WR] Reggie [Brown] a couple of times on the outside. Then, when they went into that Cover 2, we started to work the inside a little bit with [WR] Jason Avant and the running backs. We then put some of our guys in the slot where we were able to get mismatches with our receiver and their nickelback or linebacker. I think that’s the way you have to approach it.”
On how Childress’s familiarity with the Eagles will affect the game:
“I don’t think about that. It’s all in gameplanning and just knowing what you’re seeing. You could know somebody for a long time, but, depending on the situation you’re faced with, you could show them something different. In this game that we play, you could say a lot of different things about what we’ve been doing, but all it takes is one game for us to go out and propel this thing in the right direction, where, all of a sudden it feels like everything you’ve seen in the past, we’re not doing anymore. The way we have to approach it is like we’re playing a team we’re not familiar playing with, a coaching staff we don’t know much about, go out and take what the defense gives us, and for [our] defense, know what their offense is doing and be able to stop them.”
On why momentum didn’t carry over following the Eagles outing against the Lions earlier this season:
“You try not to go back and reflect on those particular games. I thought after the Detroit game, we had the momentum going into the Giants game, but obviously that went in a different direction. For us to come off of the bye week and play against the Jets, eat up yards and for it to continue on- we’re not doing what we’re capable of doing, and that’s putting up big points. There are opportunities, and there are ways of changing that. We know that, and it has to happen now. There are no ways around that. It has to happen now. When it does, we have to be able to feed off of that, and use that momentum going into each game.”
On whether there is a sense of urgency now:
“Absolutely.”
On whether Childress had more of an impact on him while he was quarterbacks coach or when he was offensive coordinator:
“The thing with Brad is, being the quarterbacks coach or being the coordinator, he still felt like he was a quarterback coach. When information was given [while he was offensive coordinator], it was pretty much given to the quarterbacks first. He would explain it to us the way he was going to give it to the team- his examples, why he was thinking about it- then he would talk about it to the team. Then, after the meetings he would come into the quarterback room and talk about something else, or give us insight of what we may be faced with or what we may see. So, even though his position had moved, he still approached it just like he was the quarterback coach when he dealt with the quarterbacks, then addressed the team as the coordinator.”
On what he feels is the most effective offense:
“I only know one offense and that’s the offense I’m in. This isn’t trying to put myself in any other offense. This is the offense that I’m in and will continue to run. We’ve had success in this offense, and we will continue to have more success.”
On whether defenses are using a linebacker to spy him:
“I haven’t had a spy in probably five years or so. Not that I’m looking for it, because if they decide to spy on me, then that means [RB Brian] Westbrook is singled up, [TE] L.J. [Smith] is singled up. If they don’t and they play a zone, then you just have to be real methodical with the ball. I haven’t seen a spy in the last couple of years with someone trying to eliminate me from running.”
On how frustrating it is not having deep routes open:
“You want to get big chunks to get your team down there a little deeper into the red zone. Again, you just have to be smart with the ball. There are ways of taking shots, but you have to be smart with the ball, knowing that if you decide to throw it up there for grabs, what could happen. Being smart is [knowing that] sometimes you have to check the ball down, get the ball to the tight ends and running backs, and have that confidence that the next play we call, could possibly be that big play. If it’s not there, then continue on with that same type of attitude.”
RB Brian Westbrook Press Conference
10-24-07
On how hard it is to drive down the field with bad starting field position:
“It’s very hard. To drive 70 or 80 yards on any defense is pretty tough. So, we have to try to find a way to get back to some of those big plays and mix some of those intermediate plays in there, as well. You have to be very efficient if you want to drive the total field, every possession. We have to continue to work on that.”
On opposing defenses preventing big plays:
“When you start hitting those big plays, like we have in the past, defenses start to prepare for those things. They would rather let us complete the shorter passes and not give up the big plays, because they know that it can lead to a fast break offense. We have to find a way to mix those big plays back in there.”
On whether they have become too reliant on big plays:
“We just have to adjust. Once a team starts to take away those big plays, we have to adjust to make our offense more suitable to what the defense is doing. We’re still going to hit some big plays here and there, but you really have to take what the defense is giving you.”
On whether he thinks they should take shots down the field regardless of how the defense is playing them:
“You could do that. Sometimes when that doesn’t work, it could mean an interception, or it could mean a bad play. Sometimes you want to take a positive play, a four or five-yard play, instead of an interception. That’s what our team has been doing—basically taking what the defense is giving us.”
On why he hasn’t been able to break any really long runs this season:
“It’s just one of those things. As a running back, you continue to want the long runs, you continue to want to be able to hit the hole and make somebody miss and get the long runs. The same thing as the big plays, the defense is starting to pattern their defense around what we were able to do. They want to take those things away, so we have to find some different ways to have success. Get back some of those long runs, get back some of those big plays.”
On the importance of a running back getting into a rhythm:
“As a running back, you definitely want to get into a rhythm. As the game goes on, you want to continue to stay in that rhythm. Different situations call for different things. If you’re down in a game, you’re probably not going to run as much. If you’re in the game, and the game is close, you would expect to continue to be in that rhythm and run the ball a little bit.”
On Vikings RB Adrian Peterson:
“He looks like he’s a very good running back. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s physical. He’s a good running back. He’s a guy who, hopefully, will continue to mature and continue to get better. He’s really a good runner. I think the one weakness that I saw in his game, is that he’s not the receiver quite yet. He does so many good things in the run that you don’t really have to throw the ball too much to him at all.”
On the Vikings run defense:
“They have a couple guys off the edge that do a good job getting some pressure, and they have some big guys in the middle. The linebackers run around, [S] Darren Sharper makes some plays from the safety [position], and their cornerbacks are aggressive, as well. I think they may be [ranked] three or four in the league against the rush, and we have to be able to find a way to be able to run the ball comfortably, as well as throw the ball down the field.”
On the last time he got into a good rhythm:
“When we started the game last week, we started off with some plays that allowed me to get into a rhythm. Within the game sometimes, you go to the run a little bit and sometimes you get away from the run. That’s just dependent on who is calling the plays and what plays they’re calling.”
On whether defenses are defending them differently in the red zone:
“I think we missed a couple times on a couple of the plays in the red zone. I think [TE] Matt [Schobel] was open a couple of times. We missed a little bit, we didn’t connect the way we should have. When you have those plays that aren’t connecting, especially in critical downs in the red zone, you’re not going to be able to get in the end zone.”
On whether he thinks they need to run the ball more in the red zone:
“I think we have the ability to run the ball more. Marty is calling the plays for a reason. He is calling the plays because he thinks he can have success against certain defenses. We’ve had success throwing the ball down there, and hopefully we’ll start to have a little bit more success.”
On how difficult it is to run against Minnesota’s DTs Kevin Williams and Pat Williams:
“It’s difficult. I think when you have big guys like that inside, you have to find a way to make them move around a little bit and try to make them tired. We have a very good inside-three in our offensive line, with our two guards and our center. They’re going to be able to get on those guys early and hopefully slow them down a little bit.”
On whether he is surprised about the lack of scoring:
“It’s very hard to believe. I think we have very good talent across the board, starting with the quarterback, running back, tight ends, and receivers. We have good enough talent to score more points than that in the NFL. I think it comes down to our execution, putting us in the right position, as far as the play-calls, and players breaking a tackle or making a big play here or there. Those things have to be all aligned to put points on the board in the red zone.”
On whether he wonders why the offense goes away from the run:
“I never question the things that they do. I would love to run the ball more; I would love to get in a rhythm running the ball a lot more. When you look at the drive where we did score a touchdown, we went down the field and we had a couple of run plays, but we threw the ball predominantly in that drive and we were able to score a touchdown. When I look at this team, and the history that we’ve had, the success that we’ve had throwing the ball, you see why they throw the ball. At the same time, we’ve had success running the ball, too. I think we’re able to run the ball. Marty sees different things on the sideline than you do as a player out there. I have confidence that he’ll get the right plays in there.”
On whether he thinks teams are keeping an eye out for him in the pass game:
“The defense, they’re getting paid, too. They’re watching film, too. When they see big plays through the screen game and big plays with the slants and things like that, they try to take those away. Things that they’re doing now to stop the run, they’re bringing eight in the box, bringing that safety down, trying to force us to pass. In the screen game, it’s called ‘mugging.’ The MIKE linebacker is just watching the running back the whole time. If he goes out for a screen, or something like that, he’s right there. It forces the offensive lineman to block him immediately. If he’s able to slip an offensive lineman, he’s right there to make a play.”
On whether he has reached a settlement with his money issue:
“I can’t say anything about it.”
