Q: Steve Smith's not here. Does that affect the way your quarterbacks approach the season?
A: Right now we're trying to get into a rhythm. These guys haven't been together without the OTAs and mini-camps. There's a history Eli has with Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks. Now it's just a matter of having some of the other guys fill in those roles and get in the same groove like the other guys. All of us are getting back into the concept of football. I think right now it's just a matter of us trying to get re-established in our system and get a good rhythm for the quarterbacks and the team.
Q: Ryan Perrilloux is kind of the guy that no one knows a lot about.A: Ryan Perrilloux is an exciting young prospect, athletic, strong arm. He was in a system in the UFL last year which is very similar. So, from a learning standpoint, he's a step ahead of what most young prospects, young rookies, first year players would be. He shows a great attitude. He's been making some good plays and unfortunately a few bad plays, but we'll work on that. Besides that he's good.
Q: What do you think not having Kevin Boss here will mean for Eli?A: Well obviously Kevin Boss was a great target for us in both the Green Zone area and out in the field. We talked a little bit earlier about chemistry that Eli had. It's just going to be a matter of somebody else having to step up and fill that role. From the standpoint of what we do, we're going to have to feature what the other talent and some of the other prospects like Travis Beckum can do. Some of the other players, Bear Pascoe, are going to have to step up and fill that void.
Q: What are you looking for in regards to the backup quarterback situation?
A: He's got to be somebody that can carry the load; that can go through and in the event that, heaven forbid, something happens to Eli he can come in there and we don't have a huge drop off. Obviously Eli's expertise and his experience and his command of this offense has been tremendous. He needs to improve. It's going to be a learning curve for anybody to come in without those reps to be able to play at that same level. It can't be a scenario in which if there is a circumstance which we would have a backup quarterback step in and we'd have to change drastically what we do. We like to have as minimal drop off as possible.
Q: You've seen Eli from both sides, the target side and the quarterback side. How long does he need to kind of get comfortable with somebody? Is he a fast person when it comes to the chemistry part?
A: They did some work in the offseason at Bergen Catholic and getting together in Hoboken. As I mentioned earlier, some of the history he has already with Hakeem for example and with Mario Manningham and even some of the work he had last year with Victor Cruz. I think it definitely is a situation where we have to maximize every single opportunity that we get out here at practice. I think he is a quick study. I think there's just such a level of anticipation he has and command with this offense and the decisions he makes that he really does a great job of reinforcing some of those concepts and principles to the receivers to help everybody get on the same page.
Q: David Carr. How much catching up does he really have to do? He's been out of the offense for a year.A: There's been recollection. There's been a lot that David has been able to remember with what we've done. Him being in the system for two years has its advantages. A lot of the terminology and a lot of the verbiage comes back to him.
Q: Has the system stayed the same mostly in the last year?
A: Pretty much. There's always going to be things in the offseason that you sit back and take a look at what you can improve on and what you can add. Essentially, it's a very similar system. So, it's just a matter of him trying to dust off the cobwebs and get back in the groove of our offense.
Q: How do you split up their throws in practice?
A: Well, as I mentioned earlier, we're trying to make sure Eli gets the maximum amount of work and he gets back into a good rhythm and gets into a good groove to identify who the top receivers are. He's getting the majority of the reps. Of course, there's Sage Rosenfels, who came in with us last year and was able to have a good understanding conceptually of what we do. But, without any OTAs or mini-camps, this is really his first opportunity to put this to practical use. So, he's making the most of those opportunities. I think when you look at David and Ryan, David having been with San Fran last year and Ryan being brand new, those guys both have exposure. They have some familiarity with what they do. But, it still comes down to the matter of those guys making the most of the opportunities that they get. Every rep is precious, especially given the fact that we lost out on those OTAs and mini-camps. The main focus as always would be to get Eli in the position where he's feeling good about the receivers and getting a good rhythm and comfort level in anticipation of what they're going to do and how they're going to react.
Q: Is there a pitch count for Eli, so to speak?A: Not necessarily. I think what we look at as we divide the reps right now with the depth of the offensive line, we're able to go three deep and typically those reps will be divided along the lines of a third, a third, and a third. In certain instances and certain scenarios, we'll give him more reps as the situation will dictate. That kind of comes from the head coach.
Q: I know you're on the other end of things now, but some guys are making plays out here for your quarterbacks – like Reynaud. Your eyes are lighting up. Are you excited by what you see?A: I really am. I think there are some young guys and there's no question things are different. There's some different faces out there, a lot on both sides of the ball. There are some voids to fill. But, when you see a guy like D-Rey make some plays, who was with us as a returner last year, and even stay inside with some stick moves.. And you see a Victor Cruz and some of the things that he's bringing to the table. Some of these young guys, Sean (Ryan) is doing a heck of a job with them. You do get excited about seeing someone that can fill that void. The people who are here are here. Those that aren't, you can't worry about that. It is exciting to see a guy like D-Rey, who definitely steps up to the plate.
Q: D-Rey, he's got a nickname. That's a good sign, right?
A: That is a good tip.
