RB Fred Jackson
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
On what the team has to do to put the past two weeks behind them:
Well, I think that is all you can do. You cannot dwell on it. It is a long season, and the last two games we played have been ugly for us, but we still have a lot of work to do. We still have an opportunity to get to where we want to be this season and the only thing we can do is control what we do from here on out and not focus on the past.
On the last two games having been a reality check:
It is definitely something that we are not proud of. What we are putting out on the field is not something we want to be known for, so we have to have a gut check within ourselves and each person on this team is looking at themselves individually and asking what they can do to help make this team better. That is all I can ask of my teammates, and all I can do for myself is what I can do to help get this thing turned around and make plays for my team.
On the offense responding to almost being shut out last week:
That is just it. Our defense has taken a lot of heat, but we have not done anything to help them as an offensive unit. We scored three points last week. You are not going to beat a lot of people in this league scoring three points. Our goal is to go out there and put up some points. Kind of take some pressure off of our defense. That is what we are focused on. We have to make some big plays. We have not made big plays consistently in our offense for the last two weeks and that is hurting us. We have to be able to establish the running game with myself and C.J. (Spiller). We have to get that going early. If we do that it is going to take some pressure off of myself and everybody else in the offense.
On running behind an injured offensive line:
Those guys are doing all that they can and that is all we can ask them to do. They are doing whatever they can to help us so we have to do what we can as a running back to help them. Whether it is running the ball or in pass protection, get some good chips on them and some guys that are rushing. Things like that. We know they will be ready, even with the injuries we are sustaining; guys are going to step in and play. They will do exactly what they are expected and we will make plays going from there.
On why the offense has been inconsistent:
That is just it. Anytime you have turnovers it is going to be hard to beat good teams. That is just what we have done. We have turned the ball over and teams have taken advantage of that and gotten points off of them. We have to eliminate that and we have to convert third downs. I think we converted one third down last week. To get points and sustain drives, you have to be able to convert third downs and that is going to be a big part of what we do. If we can get that done, eliminate the turnovers, then we can be a pretty dangerous offense.
On if there is more importance being placed on this weekend than most: Every week is important for us. We do not want to say one week is more important than another one, but this is a must win for us. We know that to get back to where we want to be we have to go out and win this game. I would not say more importance, but it is being stressed on different things just because you have to look at every week as an important game for yourself. We are focusing on details and assignments; doing all the little things this week. There are things we have not been able to get done. Whether it is not completing a pass that should be caught or not seeing a hole that is there as a running back. We have to focus on those things and get back to doing those things. I would say that more than anything may be what is different this week.Â
