Head Coach Chan Gailey
Monday, October 8, 2012
On if he is concerned about the moral of the team:
Sure you are. You have your head in the sand if you do not worry about confidence, moral and all of those terms that we all use. I address it with the team. What I reminded them is they have done it before, to not lose confidence in themselves. I have seen them, we have all seen them do it before so I know it can be done.
On the idea of losing the team:
I do not see that, but they would have to answer that. I do not feel it.
On if he is worried about that:
No.
On if he feels like he has to sell things to the team:
I think they know it. I do not think it is any shock to anybody where we are and what the situation is. I think you have to dig your way out of it and that is what you have to do. You have to fight through.
On QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's confidence:
He has a great deal of confidence. He has always had that. He really believes in himself and what he can do on the field. He has a great deal of confidence in himself. He and I talk about quarterback play, what we expect, what we want, do not want, what we like, what we do not like and he knows exactly what he has to do. I think all of us do. I have a great deal of confidence. I have seen him do it too many times. He has not hit a couple of passes that we all wish he had, but I think he can do it and I think he will do it.
On what specifically he is doing to instill that confidence in him:
He plays the game and studies the game the way you are supposed to play the game and study the game. Has he made every throw perfect? No, but not many of them do. We have to work on some things and we have to be more consistent to help him out too.
On his diagnosis of the defense:
I think it goes back to some of the things we said last week. We have to get up the field, get in creases, and not miss tackles. It was really more of the same as the week before to be honest with you. And that is not encouraging. We have to get back to basics, so to speak. Not try to make everything fit everything. It is like we are trying to make every call the right perfect defense for every situation. Sometimes you just have to call the defense and let them go play. I hate it that sometimes we have some guys trying to do some things that we do not need for them to try to do. We need to let them go play.
On how to tell guys to not do too much but be able to play to what the opponent is doing:
That is a great balance you have to find. You have to play with confidence that verges on cockiness and yet not play in such a manner that you play crazy, play wild and play out of the context of the defense or the special teams. That balance is always what you are hunting for as a coach. You do not know where it is.
On if some of the key pieces of the defense have underachieved:
No, I do not think they have. I think that what we have to do is get everybody back to playing to the level consistently. That is where we are. It is consistency. Everybody shows a spark now and then. Shows some great things now and then, but consistency on defense is what we are lacking right now. We have to get more consistent there.
On if being together for a week away from home can be helpful for the guys:
I think it can be very helpful, but time will tell on that one. I think being here and being away with just ourselves, because the people that are going to change this and rectify this are sitting in that team room in there. It is not anybody else.
On an update for DE Mark Anderson:
I did not hear. He went for tests today here. He went for a MRI here. I have not heard back (on the results).
On what the injury was:
It was a knee injury.
On the other injuries:
Aaron Williams will be fine. (Jairus) Byrd is not going to practice tomorrow, but we think he has a chance to be ready for the game. (Chad) Rinehart, we are going to rest him Wednesday but we think he has a decent chance to make the game.
On if OL Sam Young is the next man up if OG Chad Rinehart cannot play:
Yes he is.
On OL Colin Brown's status:
Hamstring and he will not make it this week.
On the shape the offensive line is in:
I hate to use a drastic word, but we are depleted there for sure. That was one of the strengths we felt like going into the season and right now we have three guys that are out. We will see about Rinehart. That may be the fourth guy out. We will have to mix-and-match and do the best job we can there.
On if they will have to make a roster move:
Let's wait and see till the end of the week.
On if the offensive line had emerged as the soul of the team:
We had a great thing going. I think I talked about the ability that we had as an offense to be able to adjust because of their experience and because of the time they had spent with each other on the offensive line. That is kind of gone right now and we have to adjust differently.
On if LB Nigel Bradham might be in line to start this week:
He might be. We will wait and see till the end of the week, but he might be, yes.
On where QB Tarvaris Jackson is:
He is learning. He cannot get reps. That is the problem with being the third quarterback. You cannot get reps in practice. There is just no way to get reps. I hate it for him and I hate it for us. There is just no way to get around it right now.
On if Jackson is not capable of picking up the playbook:
I do not think that (him not being able to pick up the playbook) is in anyway true. He works everyday with David (Lee) learning the calls and stands back there doing the mental gymnastics of playing the position, but until you see him take reps with our guys, throwing to our receivers, our routes, doing our reads and with our protection calls—you do not know if he has it. Mentally it is easy to stand back there, but when you have 3.8 seconds to get it all done, it is a little bit different. It would not be fair to put him in there right now.
On if he has talked to WR Stevie Johnson about his appearance of being frustrated on the sidelines:
No, I have not.
On if he is feeling additional pressure for job security:
I was asked if I was worried about my job this morning and I want you to know I am always worried about the job I do. I do not worry about employment. I worry about doing the job I have been hired to do. We have not done an acceptable job the last couple of weeks and I understand that. We are in a production business. That is where we are. If we do not get it straightened out it is going to be a long hard season. We have to get it straightened out.
