**
Head Coach Chan Gailey**
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Q: Will DE Mark Anderson make it out for practice today?
A: Yes. He will be on the field today. I do not know how long he can go because conditioning is part of it. We have to let him get some reps and let him get his feet back under him. He will be on the field, which is great.
Q: Does he have to practice for a couple of weeks or is there a chance he will play this Sunday?
A: Yeah, there is a slight chance he will play this week. There is. There is a chance he will play this week. It depends on how he feels and how he goes through practice. Does he get really sore? You know how that goes. We just have to wait and see toward the end of the week how he feels after going through a few days of practice.
Q: Where is C Eric Wood now?
A: Getting closer. They have not ruled him out for the last two games, but they have not told me that it is a definite that he will. It is somewhere between those two. That is one of those definite maybes, one of those situations.
Q: So he is still out for this week?
A: Yes.
Q: How does them keeping a linebacker in while playing nickel impact your thoughts on the running game?
A: Well first of all, they are a good run defense. It does not matter who is playing. They play good run defense out of nickel. They are 10th in the league in rush defense and third overall in defense. They are a great defense in every respect. You just have to make a plan for it, be able to try to get on a hat, make blocks and give C.J. (Spiller) some room to run.
Q: Do you see opportunities against this run defense?
A: It is what we hope, yeah. We hope there are opportunities and we hope we take advantage of the opportunities we get to make some runs.
Q: There is a perception out there that QB Tarvaris Jackson is not smart enough for this offense…
A: No. That is the furthest thing from the truth. You go in and ask him about our offense, he knows what is going on. He just has not had any reps. The speed of doing things in 20 seconds, he can answer it. He knows it. It is not like he does not know it. It is just a matter of him getting the reps at it and there is just no opportunity during the course of a season to get a guy reps doing things with the speed of the game. You can go out there, let him throw individual routes and things like that but just the speed of the game and a new offense is very, very difficult.
Q: Have you utilized him yet in terms of the Seahawks being his former team?
A: Yes. We have talked to him a lot about personnel more than anything. Not scheme, but more personnel and what he feels about their guys' strengths and weaknesses. We have talked to him a lot.
Q: How much of a factor can that really make?
A: Probably less than people think. It has some impact on some things you think about and ways you may set up some run or pass situations. You really have to go by what is on film because there are some new people there as well. It has some impact, but maybe not to the extent that people think.
Q: Do you ever have to alter things when you are playing against a former player?
A: I do not, but if I get a feel for it during the game that is a factor then we adjust in the game. You have got something in the back of your mind that you can go to if you think it is a problem. You do not go into making adjustments assuming. You go in with your normal stuff and then if you see that maybe they are over there calling out plays or calling out signals then you might have to make an adjustment.
Q: Are you going to push hard to resign Jackson?
A: Buddy (Nix) and I have not talked about that at all, but I would think that would certainly be in the plans. Yes.
Q: In the pre-draft process, did you get a chance to spend time with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson? And if so, what did you think of him?
A: Yes. Extremely impressed. He is a great leader, he is extremely smart and he is extremely productive. If you took away the size, he was right up there with the top quarterbacks. That is what everybody had a problem with. He had done it in college, but you always have that thing in the back of your mind. He has proved everybody wrong and proved himself right. He is an impressive player and an impressive person.
Q: What were your impressions of Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch and what are they now at this point?
A: I thought he was a very good running back when he was here and I think he is a very good running back still today. He has been extremely productive there and he is running hard. He seems to feel a lot more comfortable there. I do not know that, you would have to ask him that. It seems like he has really fit in well and things are going well for him right now.
Q: Might have there been a lack of comfort here and that is why he ended up being the odd man out?
A: I do not know. That happened so fast when I was here. We were just still trying to evaluate everybody when we made the decision to go the direction we did.
Q: But he was the odd man out?
A: Yeah. He was.
Q: Any insight onto why it was him?
A: I guess we liked those other two guys better at that point. That is why you normally make a decision.
Q: How much of a distraction for you has been the speculation over your job?
A: I get up every morning and do my job the best I can. I cannot worry about all that stuff.
Q: How much did Lynch's off the field stuff factor in?
A: If you let that become too much of a factor, sometimes it can sway decisions that are not good for a football team. You have to make decisions that are good for the football team based on the talent that you have and the talent that you have accumulated. We were loaded up there and we had an opportunity to get value so we took advantage of the opportunity.
Q: What is it that is making him play so well now?
A: I do not know. You would have to ask him that, but he is playing well.
Q: What do you see on film from him?
A: Well I see the same thing I saw when I got here and watched film. He is a big, strong man that has better quickness than people give him credit for. Extremely good balance. He is a really good running back.
Q: Do you anticipate keeping the offensive line the same as last week?
A: Yes. We will keep that the same. Try to create some continuity.
Q: What are your thoughts about going up to Toronto?
A: That has been an enjoyable trip for me. We are 1-1 up there. Last year it really felt like a home game. The first year it was a little bit more of a neutral site, but last year it felt like a home game. That is what you hope to create and continue to develop where that becomes like a game right here. If we can get that, that would be great.
Q: Is it frustrating to only have seven true home games?
A: Frustrating is not winning. Frustrating is not where you play. Frustrating is not winning, so you have to win wherever you are. You would rather be at home. Everybody would rather be at home. You cannot play 16 at home so you play the way it is scheduled.
Q: Do you think there should be a deal for you to play in Toronto?
A: I am not into deal making.
Q: Do you look at Seattle as a model of a rebuilding team?
A: No. They have done a good job. They have built their defense and got it extremely strong to this point. Their offense is starting to come on and they have done a good job overall of where they are. Everybody tries to say 'Is this a model? Is that a model?' Every place is different. Every situation is different and it takes a different amount of time. It takes different people coming together. The right people coming together at the right time to get that done. I do not know if it is a model, but they are doing it the way I believe. You get the defense set and then you work to get the offense done.
Q: Is getting where they are what you hope to accomplish here?
A: What are they? 8-5? I hope we are better at some point—a lot better than that.
Q: Did you consider Wilson at all?
A: Sure. Everybody had a high opinion of him. It is just where you would have taken him. Everybody had a high opinion of him.
Q: What is your policy in terms of talking to guys who have questions or concerns?
A: They can come in my office any time. They know my office is open. I have had guys come in this year and talk about it. Anybody can come in my office anytime they want to and ask me.
Q: RB C.J. Spiller said he had a great conversation with you. Is that kind of what you are talking about there?
A: Yeah. He and I talked the other day. He is a great guy. He is a true pro. It is great to have him on our football team on top of being a great player.
Q: Is there anything that Spiller needs to prove Sunday and over the final couple games?
A: Did you ask him?
Q: I did.
A: What did he say?
Q: He said 'It is not up to me to satisfy Joe-blow down the street. It is however many carries I get.'
A: That is a good answer.
Q: Where did you have Wilson graded?
A: You know I am not answering that. I know, but I am not answering it.
Q: Is this team better now than when you first got the job?
A: I believe it is, but we are in a production business. Right now we have not produced to that fact, but I believe we are.
