The Eagles coordinators spoke yesterday as the team prepared to play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Saints offense is performing very well right now, especially quarterback Drew Brees.
Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson Press Conference
12-20-07
On going into the game with inexperienced linebackers:
“I don’t think [LB] Omar [Gaither] is a rookie anymore, I know he’s just a second-year player, but he’s had two seasons and he’s come a long way. This is going to be a good test for [LB] Stewart [Bradley], he’s going to get quite a few reps. [LB] Akeem Jordan is the same way. Of course, [LB] Chris Gocong, he can’t get enough reps. The next couple of weeks, they’re going to play a lot. You’re going to see those guys on the field quite a bit and it’s going to be good for them, no question about it. I’m anxious to see how Jordan is going to play, I’m anxious to see how Stewart is going to play when he’s asked to control the middle, at times.”
On whether Bradley will play middle linebacker:
“He will be in the middle at times, yes. He is a MIKE linebacker, so he’ll play as a MIKE.”
On whether Gaither will play two linebacker positions:
“Yes, he’ll be swinging. He played weakside linebacker last year too. In the NFL, you have to do things like that once in a while. There are a lot of linebackers who do that. All of a sudden, they have to learn two positions. Even though he’s been a MIKE, he’s always kind of as aware of a WILL as he should be. I think he’ll do fine.”
On whether CB Lito Sheppard and FS Brian Dawkins’ health contributed to the takeaways against the Cowboys:
“I think it’s a part of it, no question about it. I think we were close on a lot of takeaways, but those guys have always been the leaders, as far as interceptions. It’s good to have them back there. We have some other playmakers too, but there’s no question that they’ve been a factor in that and hopefully we’ll get some more.”
On having the 8th-ranked defense but no Pro Bowl players:
“I think it’s all about winning. That other stuff is kind of sideshow stuff, as far as we’re concerned. It’s all about winning; I think we’re more disappointed that we’re not in the playoffs. That’s probably the biggest disappointment. [DE] Trent [Cole] may be a little disappointed, but at least he got to the show almost, as far as being an alternate. He’ll continue on that. I don’t think our guys are as disappointed in that as they are about not being in the playoffs.”
On whether Cole not being selected to the Pro Bowl had anything to do with name recognition:
“No, I think there was a lot of competition there. I think people have a lot of respect for Trent. There are a lot of other guys, [Seahawks DE Patrick] Kerney, [Packers DE Aaron] Kampman, they had some numbers also. This is fairly new for Trent, but I think he has a great reputation in the league, and it will keep getting better as long as he performs.”
On how the pass rush has been this season:
“I think it’s been okay. Outside of Trent and [DE Juqua Thomas], they are giving us good numbers. I think our tackles, [DT Mike Patterson and DT Brodrick Bunkley] are doing a good job, I really do. It’s hard to get a pass rush all the time in this league. You have to blitz; you have to do certain things. I do think our two young tackles will continue to get better, just from experience and seeing things. I think we can get better, but I’m fairly satisfied. Trent has good numbers and J.T. has decent numbers. For a tackle to even get four or five sacks in a year, sometimes is good. But, you always want more pressure, too.”
On the way the holding penalty has changed on the pass rush recently:
“I think one thing you find is that more and more people, especially against us and some other teams that blitz, are getting rid of the ball quicker. Also, your protection has changed quite a bit. I know that the protection has at least changed quite a bit in the last four or five years. It used to be that teams would get five receivers out quickly and throw the ball there. I see people keeping tight ends and backs in against us, especially in the first half against Dallas. They had three receivers out most of the time and were protecting. You find that, and that’s when it’s hard. I think that protection, and maybe the holding a little bit, help.
On Saints QB Drew Brees:
“He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s really a smart quarterback and has a good feel for the game. He’s right up there with [Patriots QB Tom] Brady and [Colts QB] Peyton Manning, as far as seeing things, second, third, fourth receivers. He gets rid of the ball fast, has a nice, quick release. You can tell he’s a student of the game. He sees things well and has a nice touch. He feels the pressure and is a very accurate quarterback. He’s always been a good quarterback, even in college [he was accurate], but it seems like he’s getting better every year.”
On Brees’ slow start this season:
“I’m not sure. I looked at the tape a little bit. The thing that hurt a little bit was some turnovers and tipped passes and stuff like that. He was still playing well; they had some turnovers against them, fumbles and stuff like that, and they just got out of the game.”
On whether Brees’ ability to pick up the blitz affects the gameplan:
“We’re still going to play our defense, we’ll see how it goes.”
On avoiding a letdown:
“I think, and I told our guys, it’s like going to a Bowl game in college. We’re getting ready a little bit for next year. You work in some young guys, there’s no reason you can’t keep getting better. You play for pride, you play for the NFL, you’re trying to help another team get into the playoffs. All of that stuff, you wan to play your best. Part of it is pride and part of it is playing for next year, too, and making sure we are all getting better.”
On CBs Joselio Hanson and Nick Graham:
“I haven’t seen Nick that much. Hanson and Nick will probably play a little more this week. Hanson has done a good job. He’s a pleasure to coach, he’s done a good job. He’s not a big guy, but he has good cover ability. He’s done a good job; he really has.”
On Hanson going up against big guys like Cowboys TE Jason Witten:
“That’s a tough assignment. I don’t like to have that matchup very often. That will happen at times in certain coverages. I think he’s got a little bit of football savvy about him, he’s got some toughness, he’s got good cover ability. It’s not a good matchup, but he’s handled it pretty well.”
On whether the questions about how the young defensive players would perform this year have been answered:
“I think so. I think Bunkley has been everything we thought he was going to be. No question, we knew Mike Patterson was going to be a solid football player. I think Omar is coming around and is a steady middle linebacker. Chris Gocong continues to get better in being productive. Yeah, I’m happy right now.”
On how far away the defense is from being elite:
“I think that’s one of the things we’ll evaluate at the end of the season. We’ve still got two weeks. I think I see good progress, especially with our tackles and linebackers. I think it’s going to be important for us to stay healthy in our secondary. That’s the thing, we’ve got to make sure we have Dawkins healthy and Lito healthy. The offseason is important for them. We’ll evaluate things at the end of the season, but so far we’re making good progress.”
On whether they would hold any veterans out of this game:
“I think you owe it to the NFL to win this game, I really do. If we had to rely on somebody else to win a game, I would hope they’d play their best. That’s how I feel about it. We want to win this game and we’re going to play our best.”
On the challenges that Saints WRs David Patten and Marques Colston pose:
“Colston, I don’t know if you’re going to find a bigger receiver. That’ll be an interesting matchup, too. He’s not a guy who is going to go deep as much as Patten. Patten is more of a deep type of receiver. Colston is really tough in the red zone, he’s really tough in the crossing routes. He’s such a big target, I know Brees loves him. All of a sudden, Brees loves Patten a lot, too. They’ve got two good weapons. This team will run the ball. They want to be balanced, but they sure like to throw the football and they have two good targets right there.”
On how the Saints’ offense is different without RB Deuce McAllister:
“I think probably more passing this year. You see what [RB] Reggie Bush does, but they are more of a passing team.”
On what makes the Saints so good in the red zone:
“Drew Brees. He does a great job. They do a lot of multiple formations down there, spreading people out. He just has command of that offense and he does a nice job down there, there’s no question about it. That’s what it is, it’s him.”
On how good the Eagles defense is in the red zone:
“We’ve had some good red zone defenses. I can’t compare this to the other ones. I think we’re playing decent red zone defense right now. Over the years, we’ve had some good ones here when Bobby Taylor was here and Troy Vincent. That’s always been our philosophy, to try to be good in the red zone and we can hold our own.”
Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg Press Conference
12-20-07
Opening Remarks:
“Wrapping up the last game, it was a tough, physical football game. I thought we showed quite a bit of character there. Going onto this next game at New Orleans, we’ll have to battle the crowd noise again—it’s a hostile environment. That will be a big key. This defense that we’re playing is fast, quick, playing real well against the run and playing excellent overall, as of late. We’ve got quite a challenge there.”
On the offense doing so many things well, but the point total being low:
“(Jokingly) We did win the game, by the way. I understand your question there and it is a unique year in that way. We’ve been preparing hard and working hard in trying to generate a few more points. You’re right, our statistics are pretty good in other aspects. Throughout the season, there have been several times in which we just have to do the right thing at the right time. That’s where we’re at. We’re working hard, we’re preparing hard and this next game will be a challenge.”
On newly called up WR Michael Gasperson’s chances to contribute this week as a WR:
“Well, it’s really more of a tight end type position. He’s up because he’s certainly earned it and we think he can help us win. That’s why he’s up.”
On whether TE Brent Celek will start this week:
“Brent’s the starter. Brent’s the man right now and he was last week, as well. Right when [TE] Matt [Schobel] went down, he became the man, right at that point—and that was real early in the game. He’s done a nice job. He makes very few mistakes, plays at a pretty high level and he does that on a consistent basis. He’s been impressive, especially being his first year.”
On whether Celek has surprised the coaches with his progress:
“We certainly thought he would develop into a fine football player. His development has been at a real fast pace. We saw that he was real sharp and smart and had a chance to help us early. Back in minicamps and training camp we saw that he makes very few mistakes. A lot of things happen at that spot and they happen fast. That’s a unique trait to have there.”
On whether Gasperson will try to block at TE:
“He can do a little bit of that, yeah.”
On Celek being the tight end of the Eagles’ future:
“I think he’s got some years ahead of him that, if he continues to develop like he’s been doing, he’ll be a fine tight end. I think he’s playing well right now; there’s no question about that.”
On whether being a RT hurt Jon Runyan’s votes for the Pro Bowl:
“I’m sure it does. I don’t put much thought into all those things, but I’m sure that it does.”
On whether the players will let down with little left to play for:
“No, that won’t be an issue. This is what we do. It’s that simple. We work hard, we play hard and we get better every day. That’s our foundation in that offensive room. These are important times, right now, for us as a football team and for the players as individuals, as well. It’s very important. These are meaningful times, right now.”
On why the last two games are still important:
“Getting better every day; that’s important to our football team. That’s important to these individual players. That’s the main thing. There are all kind of sub-goals that are important, as well, and certainly we have discussed those.”
On how RB Tony Hunt can improve his pass blocking:
“Our mentality is that we’re not scared to make mistakes. We go fast. When we make mistakes, we admit them. When we find the solutions, we correct them, but we move on fast. That’s what Tony’s done. Many times, to become a good football player, you’ve got to go through some failures. Hopefully they’re not too many or too bad, and hopefully there are very few of those. We can’t be afraid to make mistakes and then we must learn from those.”
On his concern that teams are pressuring the middle of the Eagles offensive line:
“Most people do that. That’s one strategy that you use, especially against a passing game, is pressure up the middle. There’s been some of that. I think our offensive line and backs have done a reasonably good job with that, but anytime you can get push on a quarterback in those A and B gaps, it causes problems.”
On how well the middle of the offensive line has played this year:
“I think that [C] Jamaal [Jackson] has played well and he’s been the one healthy player all year. He’s done a good job mentally, as well. He’s played against some excellent football players, both that would cover him up and as defensive tackles. Our right guard [Shawn Andrews], as you know, came in, didn’t practice very much at all in training camp and in practice, and made the Pro Bowl; so, that speaks for itself. Our left guard [Todd Herremans] went through an injury problem as well with his knee and he battled through it. So, all three of those guys have battled well and played reasonably well.”
On how well G Max Jean-Gilles has played and how that will help in the future:
“Max got some experience and played pretty well. Certainly there are some things that he can improve upon immediately. He is a battler. He loves to play the game and he brings a little juice with him. He’s a big, strong, athletic player. I think his future is pretty bright.”
On how well the receiving core has played this year:
“[WR] Kevin [Curtis] is going on 1,000 yards here—I think he’s somewhere like 30 or 40 yards to get 1,000. He’s played pretty well. We haven’t quite had the explosiveness and I’ve got to do a better job there. [WR] Reggie [Brown] has played pretty well and has even played at that high level that I know he can play at consistently. All of our players that are role-players have played pretty well. We’re talking [WRs] Greg [Lewis] and Hank [Baskett] and Jason [Avant]. Jason’s been through an injury situation as well, but he’s feeling a little bit better this week.”
On who, of Nick Cole or Max Jean-Gilles, gets the first nod when an offensive lineman gets injured:
“It depends on who’s available. Out of 53 active men, you only have so many who can come into a particular game when an injury occurs. We were able to have those men up because Shawn [Andrews] was hurting, just a little bit. There are a lot of factors that go into that, in any particular game, of who’s the first inserted.”
On the absence of a quick-strike threat contributing to the soft defenses the Eagles have been facing:
“Yeah, that’s certainly part of it. When you see a defense like that and when you play a defense like that, you have to be extremely efficient and consistent. We have at times. There’s been several times where we’ve played that type of team and, for various reasons and for our own situations, our field position wasn’t very good, so we had to drive a long ways. Some of that gets into the stat difference. You’ve got to be really efficient against those teams. And, when you take your shots, you better get them. There were some times where we had some opportunities, but we didn’t get them. Last year we got a bunch of them—I believe we led the league. So, it’s quite a different type of feel.”
On the weakness of the New Orleans secondary giving up big plays:
“Well, that is true, but a lot of those were earlier in the year. You go back there and it looks like a different defense. #34 [CB Mike McKenzie] is a heck of a player, heck of a cover corner. He plays fast, he’s got great technique, and he’s got a great feel for the game. He’s really good. All the rest of their secondary plays towards their front seven, who are very quick and fast. They try to pressure you at times. They’ve done a nice job. They’re playing well as a defense and as a football team as of late.”
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