Q: How did you feel like your defense did against Washington?A: Obviously, when you don't win the game, you don't feel that you fared very well. I think we could have performed better. We had some mistakes that I thought were mistakes that we shouldn't have made. We had some plays that I thought we could have made that could have decided the game. We didn't make them. We can't cry over spilled milk over last week, we have to look forward to this week.
Q: Antrel Rolle said that your defense could be a little nastier, and Jason Pierre-Paul said that you guys seemed soft; do you agree with those assessments?A: You know what; I think the players and Antrel are always looking to be a self-improving defense. I think he's trying to send a message to our guys that it's December, and that we really have to ball right now. We have to do what we need to get done to win these football games. I think that was his message. When you play this game, when you play professional football, you're not a soft person. This is hard-hitting; this is a man's game. Anybody that steps on that field, they're a man. I think he's trying to send a message that it's time to get going, boys, it's December and we have to do a much better job than we've been doing.
Q: Do you think that's the right message?A: I don't need to send that message. The players send that message.
Q: What is your message?A: Win. We need to win these games. That's my message.
Q: Did last year's game against the Saints stick with you?A: I wanted to forget about that game because they kicked the (stuffing) out of us. We have a chance to defend them this time and we're doing everything that we possibly can, watching as much tape, getting as many tips as we can in order to be able to compete with these guys this year. They have a very good football team.
Q: Kenny Phillips only played a little bit, but do you need him out there to play, even if it is a small role?A: We had him in a specific package last week. Obviously we would love to have Kenny on the field. Coach (Coughlin) makes that call. We'll just wait and see how Kenny performs and how Kenny practices to see what he'll do in Sunday's game.
Q: In the Packers game you used a lot of different combinations on the line and you did that a little less last week. Is that something you'll be doing moving forward?A: If our personnel allows us to do that. That's something that I looked at over the bye week; I thought that was something that I could utilize in that particular ball game. Some games you are able to do those things and if the opponent allows us by their personnel to do it, yeah, we'll definitely use our personnel combinations.
Q: The Saints are probably more similar to the Packers than the Redskins:A: Oh yeah, they're a totally different team. It's a totally different mindset when you play the Redskins vs. when you play the Saints.
Q: Can you take things from the Green Bay game and use them this week?A: You can take some of those things. Their offense is definitely different though. They are more of a pro-style offense than the Redskins were, so yeah, you can use some personnel combinations to your advantage in this coming ball game, sure.
Q: What have you seen from Jacquian Williams since he's been back, and what kind of difference can he make?A: In his practices, you forget how fast the kid is. He has really legitimate speed and quickness so he flashes and that's what you see. He's unique in that way and hopefully he can continue to do that and we can get that out of our pass-coverage and we can get that out of him.
Q: How do you assess Prince Amukamara's progress this season?A: I was very leery, I (was) saying, "I want more out of Prince, I want him to do this, I want him to do that." Then, when I went back and looked at him over the bye week, Prince has done some really good things. I think Prince has only given up one big play, at that point in the bye week. Although he needs to be better technique-wise, he's really progressed and done some nice things. Can he be better and can he be more dominant? I think he can and I think he wants to be. He is gaining experience. I'm just letting him grow, mature and learn even more. I think Prince is going to be a pretty good football player for us.
Q: What's your level of frustration with the defense in the recent losses over the last few weeks?A: I'm not really frustrated with them. Obviously we want to close out and be able to finish games. The opponents executed better than we have, so my frustration is our execution. I think we've been in position to make plays to get off the field and do that, and we have not executed and we have been in position to execute. I think it just comes down to our whole theme, which is: finish. We know how to, we're just not consistent at finishing.
Q: Justin Tuck said after the game that a lot of the time you guys had the right call, but RGIII would make a play to get out of trouble:A: Yeah, we didn't execute exactly what we practiced and what we planned. I think #46 hurt us as much as the quarterback. Again, if you take your assignment and you do what you're supposed to do, we have a different outcome.
Q: As far as Chase Blackburn is concerned, is he a different player now than when you had him in 2010?A: Well, when he was with us in '10, he was more of a special teams role-type player. He was the same person in the classroom, very knowledgeable about what we were doing and how we were doing it. He was still verbal, but he didn't always show his verbal skills because he never ran that much with the first team. The difference is, now he has the opportunity to command the huddle and command the defense. You hear that and you see that and people feel very comfortable with him making the command and giving the call. He's really just kind of stepped forward. He's gotten the opportunity and he's taken advantage of that opportunity. I think you saw when he went out of the game against Washington for a series, we weren't as smooth, we weren't as in-sync. He keeps everybody in-sync.
Q: Do you think when a guy is out of the game for a little bit and comes back that he plays with a little bit more abandon or a little freer?A: Chase always plays with abandon, so I can't speak for others, but I can say that he plays 110% all the time. A lot of guys would not have played with the injury, the ankle injury that he had, but Chase always plays like that. Speaking for him, he always plays reckless.
Q: Is there a difference in this offense without Sean Payton? Drew Brees sometimes doesn't look like the Drew Brees from last year:A: He looks pretty good to me. I think Drew Brees is Drew Brees. I think he does a great job, he just broke Johnny U (Unitas)'s record. He's done a great job. He's played some opponents…the 49ers had two pick-sixes against him and the Falcons had a couple turnovers against him. The turnovers that I saw were some really good plays by the defense. That's what we'll need to do. We'll need to make some really good plays because the guy is very accurate and he is a sharp quarterback
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