QB ALEX SMITH
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Q: **Has the last game against the Raiders had any effect on the way you guys have played since then?
SMITH:"No, I don't think so. These are all unique. These division ones are even more unique because you know each other so well and you have the history and you play each other twice a year. If anything, it is what you expected. You except these games. These are hard fought games. They are close and they come down to the smallest of things. You scratch and you fight for all those little things. You anticipate it probably being a similar situation, coming down to the end of the game and who can make the play."
Q:With the suspension of Peters, do you feel like everyone is frustrated and what do you do to keep from it boiling over?
SMITH:"Nobody likes to lose. And when you have lost a few in a row, sometimes funny things happen. It is a tough situation. Coach made the decision though. We are going to go with it. Stakes are too big right for what we have in front of us, the opportunity we have in front of us. We have a good locker room, we have a mature locker room. Guys have handled, from an offensive side, we are different and it doesn't affect us. Those guys will handle it the right way. We have to go as a team."
Q:When did Coach Reid tell you about it?
SMITH:"I found out about it this morning, officially."
Q:Can you speak to the importance of having drives that are long and sustaining?
SMITH:"We are trying to score points. If we had one-play drive touchdowns every time, we would take it. Let's be honest here, we are not like, 'Hey, let's put together a 15-play drive together.' That is hard to do that against any defense. Sometimes you have to do that, though. I am not saying that's not the case. But you are trying to go out there and execute. If every play was a homerun, you are going to do that. There are certain times during the game that you want to hang on to the ball, but that is a specific situation. We are trying to go out, execute and score points. Our job as an offense is to do that."
Q:Is that as well as you guys have score fast in a while?
SMITH:"Yeah, you don't anticipate it. We had two one-play drives and a couple other really short ones as well. You don't always anticipate that. I thought we were aggressive and we stayed aggressive and we hit some of them. Still some things to take away from it. I think the objective for any offense, when you are trying to go out there and execute is to score."
Q:How important are the little details when it comes to Tyreek's development?
SMITH:"Obvoiulsy, the physical tools are there and that is apparent. I think there are a lot of plays out there as he just continues to grow as a receiver. The one really long one was a perfect example of that. There are so many little different releases and leverages and things that he is just getting such a good feel for. Every week, you don't know how they are going to stop you and you have to be able to combat it again in the middle of a game and I think he does a great job with that."
Q:What did you like most about your 70-yard run?
SMITH:"I knew they were in man. Anytime, it was one of those situations right there where I thought Kelce had a good matchup up, but he was getting tugged on pretty good. I saw a window and took it. At that point, once you are in the open field, it's not a situation us quarterbacks find ourselves in very often, especially at this level. Kind of primal, playground instincts take over at that point. You are just going, trying to keep your feet, get what you can."
Q:How would you classify this game?
SMITH:"This is it. We are in the fourth quarter of the season. Three out of the four are division games. These next two, it is a three-way tie. We are going to play the two other guys these next two weeks. We can't get ahead of ourselves. Right here, we have a team that beat us earlier this year and we have to find a way to rebound."
Q:As a leader on this team, how do you help keep this team together and motivated?
SMITH:"We are all in this locker room and around each other a ton. You just try bead on it. Sometimes, you don't need to say anything. You have to evaluate that. A little bit, be yourself. Where is your focus? This locker room doesn't have a big problem with that, though. Guys understand what we have to do and where our attention needs to be. But, certainly, if something needs to be said you do it."
Q:How did the locker room take the news of the Peters suspension?
SMITH:"I can't speak for everybody in here. But, certainly, a lot of the leaders on this team are ready to go. I think they understand it. It is not easy. It is a hard situation, a hard decision, and coach made it and we are going. To go back and forth on all this stuff on this point is pointless. Let's go."
