Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride

Q: What does the addition of Brandon Stokley mean for the receivers?

A: It gives us an experienced guy to play inside so we are excited to see what he can do and how quickly he can learn our nomenclature and assimilate the offense. We are excited about having him.

Q: Do you think he will be able to play on Monday?

A: We only had one day of practice. Today, we asked him to do the things he had been doing his whole life. The things that would be unique to what we do, we will gradually expose him to. There are things that are universally done. You call them different things but they are the same thing. You run a hook route, you run a corner route, you run an in-cut. Everywhere and everybody does it, it is just a matter of what do you call it. Some of the other stuff, the more reading and sophisticated thing, we will expose it to him little by little. 

Q: Stokley said he has caught passes from Eli, do you think that helps?

A: I don't know, I guess. It doesn't hurt but I don't know how it helps. He has caught passes so hopefully that means he is accustomed to catching them.

Q: Was adding a veteran something you wanted to do for awhile?

A: We had wanted all along Steve Smith back and that was the objective, that was the hope and the expectation but when that didn't happen, then we have two young guys that we think can do it. How fast will they be able to evolve into the experienced receiver that you need at that spot where everything is happening so quickly inside. The powers above me made that decision and we needed to add this additional receiver. I feel pretty good about this particular guy because he is an intelligent guy who has shown the quickness that you need to react to with all the different variables that they place inside and also to have the quickness to get some separation when they are playing cover two or man. I think he will bring something to the table that we are looking forward to having and what we were really in need of since Steve Smith's injury.

Q: How do you explain the 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1 plays last week?

A: The staff and head coach's philosophy is to find the run that gives you the best chance to be successful and attack them accordingly. That depends on what they are doing and what we are doing and what have you. That particular play we thought they would load up inside and they did load up inside. We should have had that play easily but we didn't block it as well as we should have and we didn't get it.  

Q: Why Bradshaw over Jacobs?

A: Our guys decide that this particular run is Ahmad and this particular run will be Brandon. We try to choose the run that has the best chance of being successful so you pick the running back that can execute the best.

Q: Do you need to talk to the young receivers to make sure they understand what's going on here with the addition of Stokley?

A: Yes and hopefully we have already done that and communicated that. We think that Victor Cruz and Jernigan have some ability and eventually will be the experienced player that can utilize the physical skills they have and the pass catching skills that they have. We are convinced that they have them but there is so much that goes on at that spot and you have to have a feel for that because intellectually it is very challenging as well as physically. Right now, there is so much happening so fast that they are not playing at the speed and the confidence that they need to have. We feel that they will reach that level.

Q: What is it about this team and staff that allows you not to panic?

A: I don't know how calm we are but I think there is the confidence that has developed through the years based on experience and having been through some tough times and realizing that there are certain ways to handling it and the strength, resiliency and resolve that needs to be shown. The understanding that what you are doing is the right thing and just hanging with it is the right thing and not abandoning it at the first sign of a challenge. 

Q: How much pressure do you expect to see Monday?

A: He is apart of the Philadelphia system. The Jim Johnson family and he is one of those guys so they have all grown under Jim Johnson and it is unquestionably predicated on pressure and pressuring the ball. Like many teams in the league, their style is similar to many people that employ that philosophy, that old Philadelphia system because that is what it is.

Q: It is a good prep for the following week?

A: I haven't even looked with the new coaches but if it does adhere to the system, which I would imagine it does for the most part, then yes, it will be.

Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell

Q: Do you think Sam Bradford has seen a defense like yours?

A: I don't know. We change up every week so hopefully we can give him something new.    

Q: Was the amount of zone defense you played in Washington planned or based on the personnel?

A: It was about 50-50. If you go back and study us last year on a 16-game season, we were probably about 50-50. We did something last week on a zone concept that we normally don't do as much because of personnel.     

Q: What did you see from your secondary?

A: I counted seven plays that were 18 yards or more and five of those plays were errors. Mental errors or communication errors where we let people run free when we should not have let them run free. Again, that is just communication and them getting to know each other. Sometimes guys just gave a call that was not the right call. We didn't have a guy on a guy. This team is learning together and how to work together and I'm learning this team also. We are trying to learn each other and last week, from the secondary standpoint and even the front standpoint, we consider Justin Tuck and Osi apart of our secondary because the quarterback doesn't get a chance to hold the football when we play zones, and it comes out quicker. That was a little bit of a problem, we missed two secondary players too.

Q: With those two would you have had more sacks?

A: We would like to think so but you never know. Some of the plays that occurred in the ballgame , you say that didn't occur a year ago.   

Q: Would you say some of the errors were because of the short training camp?

A: I don't draw the correlation. Some of it was because they did a good job with their design and some of it was young players being in there and some was just poor communication. We had some errors in the ballgame.  

Q: Was signing a veteran receiver a sign of what Greg Jones gave you?

A: Coach can speak about what we are doing and why we are doing it. To speak about Greg, I thought Greg preformed well. He has to work, like we all do, in his coverage assignments. From a run game standpoint, I thought Greg preformed well. I thought the game slowed down for him because we put so much pressure on him last week in practice. I was very pleased with his performance. 

Q: Does your game plan change if Jackson doesn't play?

A: No. I think both of those guys are excellent runners. If you look at their team, in my opinion, the running backs are the productive ones. I am not taking anything away from their wide receivers but their running backs are the productive guys on their team in the running game and passing game. 

Q: Why is it so hard for rookies to cover?

A: It happens so fast out there. There is a lot of communication when we play coverage and there is a lot of assignment switching that goes on. We try to do things to confuse the quarterback a little bit so that we are not confused. We were confused five of those seven times that the ball went 18 yards or more. Without any OTAs or a two-a day training camp and because we lost Jon (Goff), we are missing details. We missed some of those details in that game last week. Yesterday and today these guys came back and performed better in practice. It felt like we won today in practice. We got better as a defense so I look at this group to get better and better and come together and perform for us.    

Q: Do you expect more out of the secondary?

A: No doubt about it. I expect more out of those guys, no question.

Q: How much were you aware of the players' relationship with Spags?

A: I am just me. I do what I do. I communicate and treat people the way that I treat people. Obviously you are going to have a great relationship with a guy who comes in and wins a Super Bowl and you come back the next year and goes 12-4. His credibility is well documented. I called Steve when I got the job just to ask him about personnel and different things from one coach to another to help me learn New York and the New York Giants. I was a little aware but I am just me.  

Q: What did he tell you?

A: We didn't get a chance to talk. He called me back and we played phone tag a lot but we talked a little bit later. He had glowing things to say about this defensive unit and the people and leadership here. We didn't get a chance to talk right then but we did talk later on.

Q: How did the four-safety look come together?

A: Just putting the best players on the field and in a situation because we were down some secondary players, we felt like we could use Tyler and Rolle. What I am trying to do, since we are down some people, is give guys roles in our defense. Like Jacquian Williams has a role in our defense and Tyler has a role in our defense. I am going to incorporate some of the young guys like that so that they don't have to think about all the things that we do and can focus on some of the things we do.

Q: Do you do anything differently?

A: It is experience and it is communication. It is the speed of the game. Sometimes it's a young player in there and things happen so fast in the ballgame and you try to make a check or a coverage adjustment and everyone doesn't get it. Somebody gets it and somebody doesn't and the offense exploits that weakness. Again, we have done a great job this week of communicating and getting better. We got better this week and today I know we got better as a defense.

Q: Are you surprised that Spags calls coach Coughlin to ask him questions?

A: You definitely use your resources, even as a defensive coordinator, I talk to coach Coughlin about different things. I would assume that Steve would do that being a head coach. I know that I have relied on people that I have worked with in the past. Lovie Smith, Dick Jauron, etc. I think that is good practice to call someone with experience, knowledge and know-how to help you get better as a football coach.

Q: Are you giving away your trade secrets?

A:  You would never give away your trade secrets, so to speak, but to help a fellow coach in his practice plan or planning how you prepare your football team in advance and those types of things. I see nothing wrong with that.

Q: Do you feel like you have the run defense down?

A: Every day is a new day and when you think you have accomplished something with a football team something comes up and bites you. We are going to continue to work on the rush part of it. We have to bring all of it. Our rush defense and our pass defense and our pass rush defense and our blitz packages, we have to bring all those things together. It is constant work. It is constant improvement, so no I don't feel like it's together yet. 

Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn

Q: Do you think the kickoff return is eliminated?

A: Not where we play but at some point it is going to be. Our stadium, in general, does not produce a lot of touchbacks. It did not produce a lot of touchbacks last year with 30. There will be a few more this year but it will be in play for the northeast teams but possibly not the dome teams and the altitude teams.  

Q: Do you know with some guys how it is going to go?

A: It will change. It will depend on the kicker, number one, and the hang time he is getting. Obviously, different situations will arise on whether you want to bring it out or whether you want to take a knee. You just have to adjust.   

Q: Do you see a lot of guys coming out after deeper kicks?

A: Yes, and that is something that everyone has taken their chances with in the preseason, given the rules and they have to hold fast to it. If you say four, five, six or seven, whatever your threshold is, you have to make sure they stay with it. I think the problem is that some people just took them out in preseason and people just got used to the kick deep. You see a lot of those seven or eight yards deep and you are starting on the 12 or 15.