How are you doing health wise with Eric Wright and whoever else?
“You ask I will tell you. Eric (Wright) did not practice today.”
How did Jamon Meredith come out of that game?
“Surprisingly well. He practiced today.”
How is Arrelious Benn?
“[He] did not practice today. We are going to wait and see.”
With Eric Wright being week to week are you optimistic about his playing Sunday?
“I think it is too early to tell.”
With the targets that a quarterback has to throw to is it going to be as big a challenge you will face this year?
“Well, they are awfully good. Those two guys they are going to be hard. Two on the outside and then one in the middle. So, yes three.”
What makes them work so well together is it just talent or are they coordinated?
“All of the above. They are very, very talented. Matt Ryan is an excellent quarterback. And then their scheme and their coaching you can see is very precise and efficient. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
From your standpoint on the defensive side what are some of your concerns for this game obviously with the key targets for them?
“I would think it would be yes. I think we will see a lot of balls in the air. We are going to have to defend them. We are going to have to put pressure on the quarterback. It is certainly going to be a challenge.”
Have you seen sides of improvement from your secondary?
“I am. Yes, I have.”
What has gotten better?
“I think the perimeter pass coverage is getting better. Now I mean going up in class for sure. Right? It is going to be some challenge.”
What have they done to get better?
“Better technique. Better understanding of what we want. Just cumulative repetitions.”
Speaking of the secondary what have you thought about Mark Barron and his development?
“Another big test this week for Mark (Barron). One of the big things—we really love the way Mark (Barron) ran support in college, for sure. One of the things in our division having to defend these great tight ends Mark would be a great matchup. I think he will be. I think he has been. He needs to really play well because the third head of the three headed monster, he is really good.”
How did he do against Greg Olsen last week?
“I thought he played pretty well. The PI (pass interference) it got called so that’s a PI, but that could go either way. When you look at it either by rule you have to get your head around if you are going to have any incidental contact. So if you are looking for the ball you can have incidental contact. If you don’t look for the ball you can’t have any contact period. That limits your margin of error if you don’t get your eyes around that’s for sure.”
Can you talk about the success you guys have had turning turnovers into points?
“Well I think it is very important. Getting the turnovers first is the hard thing, right? Then when you give yourself a short field getting points off of it. You know when you get a takeaway back in your own end it is not quite as big a deal. Certainly you are stealing a possession there, but it is not as big a deal. When you get it on the plus side of the 50 that becomes I think a very important thing that you come away with points.”
What are the biggest improvements this team has seen this year as first quarter offensive points and is that an area you looked at and targeted?
“I have always thought that the offensive teams that we have had do that fairly well because you have an idea exactly what you are going to run and you are going off what you think you are going to see from them. And you practice it and you kind of go through the openers in the pregame meetings and your pregame walk through. So I think there is a certain comfort level there. Then the age old question is why don’t you just repeat it and do it again? Well they are adjusting too. The opponent is seeing what you are doing. But it is important I think if you can get off to a good start not necessarily score, but it is nice to score. But get into a flow. Get into an offensive flow [and] I think that is important.”
Can you talk about Dallas Clark and his involvement in the offense particularly these past few weeks and what did you see in him when he worked out for you?
“Well I think he had a couple tough years injury wise and I think that’s where the not enough left in the tank came from because he has a lot left in the tank. This guy is hungry and a driven football player and a really good role model on our football team. So we knew we were getting that because Ron (Turner) had been with him at Indy and we had some insider information there with Ron. That helped a lot. To be frank with you knowing more gave us an advantage.”
When you watch Michael Bennett play how much of his success is just that relentless effort, but just talk about him as a player?
“You are right Mike (Michael Bennett) plays with a high motor with disregard for his body which allows him to make plays. Usually most great defensive players are that way. Who is kidding who? Most defensive players that are fine players have a lot of talent too and Mike has that. So it is a good combination though.”
Are you amazed that a guy the age of Tony Gonzalez is still able to contribute at that level?
“It is amazing. We have one on our team and they have one on their team. It is pretty neat that they are playing each other this weekend. It is when you look at what Tony does he is really a fine player. You have to account for him. At that age that is something.”
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