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HEAD COACH ANDY REID **
Opening Statement:"Alright, on the injury front here – Tamba [Hali] will not practice today, it's just how we're working with him, nothing different from what he's had. Sam Barrington will not practice today with a hamstring. Parker [Ehinger] will not practice with a foot sprain, and then, Jah Reid will not practice today, but he's making progress. He's got an ankle that's acting up and knee – he's got a little bit of everything there. Tardif will give it a go. Jamaal [Charles] is improving by the day; we'll just keep him going here and see how he does this week. He's chomping at the bit and wants to play, which I love about him. I just want to make sure that we're good there when the time comes. Eric Berry had a little bit of swelling on his knee, but he's feeling pretty good. He's going to come out and practice, and we'll see how he does. With that, we look forward to the challenge of playing the Jets. We know they're a good football team. So, we'll get ourselves ready. The guys had a good attitude out here for the walk-thru. We need a good week of practice. So, time's yours."
Q: Is it safe to say the prognosis on Jamaal Charles is all good?
REID: "Yeah, all positive. I think the longer you can wait with him, the better it is. Even though, I think he probably thought he could go play today, or tomorrow or whatever. So, we'll just see how this week goes and another week is going to help him. We'll just see. We'll see how he does this week."
Q: So is the plan for him to do scout team?
REID: "You know what, he's been kind of working in a little of each. So, he'll do scout team predominantly, and then, he'll work in with a little bit of the offense."
Q: You do a good job of mixing up personnel groups, but you use 11 when you really want it and when you really need it. What is it about that formation and group that you guys like so much?
REID: "Yeah, so, you're talking about all the big bodies? Three-wide? We don't call it 11. Our three-wide package, I like the players that are involved in it. I think they're good skilled players. We can do a lot of things out of it."
Q: Is Alex Smith just comfortable in it?
REID: "Yeah, I think he's good with all the different personnel groups. He's pretty comfortable with it – with all the different looks. They all have their strengths and their plays that they work. So, I think as many looks as you can show and as many personnel groups you can show to the defense is a good thing."
Q: If you don't call the group with [Albert] Wilson, Mac [Jeremy Maclin], and [Chris] Conley, 11 personnel, what do you call it?
REID: "We named it after the officials."
Q: Zebra?
REID: "That's right, there you go."
Q: Is there a common denominator for the slow start in the last two games?
REID: "I've got to make sure I do a better job of putting the guys in the right position and then when given the opportunity to make plays, we have to do that. We have to take care of the penalties, we had way too many and we went through a stretch there of 10 weird things happening in a row, 10 plays in a row. After the snap over the head, I think that was one of the 10 so we have to tighten that up a bit."
Q: After looking at the tape again, was Alex's [Smith] accuracy about where it typically is or did he just miss some stuff?
REID: "It wasn't necessarily accuracy, it was just being on the same page, the receivers and the quarterbacks on the same page. I have to take care of that, that's something I have to work with. If you're off a hair it can affect things, that's why we practice so much. We have to do a better job there."
Q: I know things happen in football where things like that just pop up, it really seems like you guys don't have that many issues like that.
REID: "I don't want this to be a thing here. We need to get it stopped."
Q: There's a report out that a bunch of coaches complained after week one that there weren't enough holding calls in week one, then you go to Houston and there's seven of them called in your game. What's your dialogue with the league when you have officiating issues during the week and do you know going into a game that something like that is up? There were a lot more calls in week two.
REID: "I think they probably could have called holding on every play. If they chose to do that on either side I think that just happens. I wasn't aware of all that, I don't even care about all of that stuff. We have to make sure we work our technique and fundamentals, keep our hands in. They weren't fabricating ours so that was real. We have to do a better job with it."
Q: What do you see from the Jets front seven?
REID: "That's an explosive group. That's the strength of their defense, they're very good up front. They're two deep at that. We have to have good preparation this week for them."
Q: As a quarterback guy, what do you think, what do you see from [Ryan] Fitzpatrick? What do you like about him?
REID: "He's a smart guy, he's accurate. He's been in a few different offenses, the ones he's been with Chan [Gailey] he's been the most successful in. Chan's a bright guy and that's a good mixture, those two. They have good chemistry going there."
Q: Those guys will push you down-field, how much of that is the quarterback's aggressiveness and how much of that is just the offense down there?
REID: "I think it's both. He's got the final say because he has the ball in his hands. I think he has good receivers to throw it too also. That also helps."
Q: What kind of challenge is it for the defense to know all of the touches that [Matt] Forte has been getting this season, to know that he's an antsy player, for the guys up front to know that they're going to be challenged this week?
REID: "The guys respect [Matt] Forte, he's a good player. They've got a good offensive line, so our defensive line has to have a good week of preparation. They'll do that, that's the way they're wired. You love challenges in this business, from a coaching standpoint, player standpoint, you work so hard to play against good caliber players. That's what this group is, so that'll be something to watch, that matchup."
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QB ALEX SMITH**
Q:With solid efforts from Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West these past two weeks, what could Jamaal Charles add to the mix if he returns on Sunday?SMITH:"There's two things to that answer. One: Who knows when we'll get him back. That's obviously up to the doctors and how he's feeling. He's a one-of-a-kind type player. Without a doubt. There's not many guys that have the same skillset and capabilities. Whenever he does come back, we'll be happy and lucky to have him back. With that being said, and the way our running backs, Charcandrick [West] and Spencer [Ware], are playing, it's nice not to have that pressure where we need to hurry [Jamaal] back before he's ready. The way these guys have been playing in the run and pass game, they've been really dynamic and have made plays for us. It's nice for the organization, the coaches and Jamaal to not feel pressured. It allows him to make the right decision as well."
Q:It's rare for you and the receivers to go through miscommunication on the field like in Houston. Where are you at on this?SMITH:"I've been thinking about it and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. We haven't had a day like that in a long time. I can't remember the last time. I was going through missed connections. There were probably seven or eight of them and a lot of yards. For whatever reason, there were missed connections, a lot of offense and a lot of plays that ultimately changed the day. So we've got to get it figured out, come back, get back to our old selves and connect."
Q:It's common to have a couple miscommunications, right?SMITH:"The games are fast, you get going and playing fast and you're not always 100%. There were certainly a lot of plays out there that we normally make routinely."
Q:How do you correct it? Do you get on the field or in the film room? SMITH:"Yeah a little bit. You don't panic, you go back to the fundamentals a little bit. You go back to the work, communicating, making sure we're on the same page, and getting those things worked out. You can't get everything 'repped' in practice, so some of that is up to us to communicate about looks we see on film and the 'what ifs' for different scenarios."
Q:You've found success in the no-huddle so far this year. What do you like about running the no-huddle offense? SMITH:"You hate to be a team that has to go to that to get the ball rolling. We feel good in it and we've worked a lot at it over the years and certainly this offseason. Coaches have put a lot of guys in good situations. And with that, we've been able to play fast and find a rhythm in those situations."
Q:Do you have more or less responsibilities in the no-huddle as far changing plays at the line?SMITH:"It kind of depends week to week. The more the defense is doing, the more falls on my plate to get ready for them. You've got to be able to avoid bad plays and 'this or that.' Weeks when the defense is more 'vanilla', less falls on my plate."
Q:What's the most difficult part about playing from behind? SMITH:"It changes the dynamic. Especially when you get into the second half of games and you know your possessions are limited. Not to say you're never going to be in those situations, obviously you'd like not to be. We'd like to get in a rhythm early and get some points on the board to help our defense out."
Q:What's the common denominator been these first two games?SMITH:"Ultimately it's going to come down to a lack of execution. You hate hearing that. This last week certainly, every drive we had whether it be a penalty, a turnover, a sack, or a negative play, it stalls the drive and it's hard to overcome versus a talented defense."
Q:What do you think of New York's front seven?SMITH:"They're good. This is back-to-back weeks we're playing against really talented fronts. All these guys can get after it in the run and pass game. They're all really good. You can see it on film. It all starts up front."
Q:What do you see from Darrelle Revis and Jets' fans overreacting to his play? SMITH:"I think a lot of that's been overblown. Watching him on film, he's a good player. He has good eyes, good feet, sees things well and he's smart. I know there's been two deep balls caught on him -- one I'm not sure if you can totally put on him. That's not what the media sees so some of it's a little overblown."
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WR CHRIS CONLEY**
Q:What has the atmosphere been like around the practice facility this week?CONLEY:"It's good. There's no time in this league to dwell on a loss or dwell on a win. So, we took one day to think about that. We looked at the film, and analyzed ourselves, and saw all the mistakes that we made and we came in here and said, 'Hey, this can't happen if we want to be a good football team.' So, we're reenergized, we're focused and we're ready for the Jets."
Q:is there anything that you saw on offense that you guys really need to focus on? CONLEY:"The biggest one is just not really creating drive stoppers for ourselves. We had three turnovers, a number of penalties. If you want to be a good offense that's consistent like we can be, then we can't do that."
Q:Would you describe the play in Houston as uncharacteristic or a fluke for the team? CONLEY:"Yeah, I would definitely say it's a fluke. But, it also comes down to the way that we practice, so we have to be consistent here. We have to hold ourselves accountable, and we have to do some things better in practice as well."
