Head Coach Mike Smith Interview
Q: It seemed like the offense was giving it to the defense today, kind of picking them apart?
A: “Today was the first day that we went and worked against the opponents. We were working on what we call scouting. It was a new event for us. It was a learning curve for all of our guys on the tempo that we want to have. It was the first day of our game planning. They competed a little bit, but it’s not nearly as competitive as training camp.”
Q: Did both sides respond well to the scouting look?
A: “Yes, I think so. It’s all new for us. We have to prepare our football team for our upcoming opponent and guys are going to have to perform different techniques and play different positions. They’re not running this offense or this exact same defense. It’s a little bit of a change and a learning curve. That’s why we try to get two of those weeks in the preseason.”
Q: You have one more game before five more cuts have to be made. Do you see those guys on the bubble starting to press a little bit out there?
A: “Well, no. I think the guys are watching the rosters and how things are turning out. I haven’t seen anybody that’s really pressing. They’ve done a nice job all of the way through camp to compete and let their actions and tape show what they can do. We talk to our guys all the time. When they get on tape for a game, there are 31 other teams that are also evaluating them. So, they have to go out there and play hard.”
Q: How did Sam Baker do in the game the other night?
A: “I thought Sam had another solid game. When you don’t call his name too often, that’s really good for a left tackle. He did a nice job. He played basically the entire first half and one series in the second half.”
Q: Did any other guys stand out on Saturday night?
A: “Watching the game in person can be a little bit deceiving. There were a number of guys I thought played well and did some nice things. Brent Grimes had another solid game. He had a pass breakup in the endzone. He did a nice job. The other thing that I thought was very impressive was the work of our coverage teams. They were really running down the field, breaking up wedges and making some plays. Michael Koenen punted the ball extremely well. He punted the ball into the corners andonto the sideline. They couldn’t get some returns.”
Q: Traditionally the third game is the most meaningful for veteran minutes in the first half. Is that your philosophy as a head coach to see significant minutes from your veterans the first half?
A: “Yes, I think that is pretty much standard throughout the league. When you go into your third game, you want to try to take your first unit through halftime and basically the first series of the second half. We’re going to take our guys into the second half, barring a couple of guys that might be a little banged up. We might pull them out a little bit early. But, for the most part you’re going to see our guys go a little bit longer than they did the first two games.”
Q: Who will be your starting quarterback?
A: “Our starting quarterback will be Matt Ryan. We’re rotating through. He’ll be our starting quarterback on Friday night.”
Q: Housekeeping notes: John Abraham is back, Chris Houston is back.
A: “Chris had practiced with us last week and it was really a situation where we wanted to hold him out. He was back out there again today. I think he’s progressing well. It was exciting to see John comeback and go through the majority of practice. He’s still a little tweaked, but he’s getting closer to being ready.”
Q: What was Chevis Jackson’s injury?
A: “Chevis got his bell rung in the game. We were holding him out. He took a hit on a special teams play on a kickoff. We’re holding him out for precautionary reasons. We hope in the next day or two that he will be ready to come back.”
Q: How is Michael Boley’s back?
A: “Michael got kicked in the back. Those things are really painful. I talked to Michael when it happened and he said ‘Smitty, it’s just a flesh wound.’ We’re feeling pretty good that he’s going to be back with us pretty soon.”
Q: Has Laurent Robinson helped himself since he’s been back?
A: “Yes. Laurent made an outstanding catch on the third down conversion on Saturday night. He’s done a nice job coming back and getting into the swing of things.”
Q: What do you want to see out of Matt Ryan in this next game?
A: “He’s played about two and a half quarters. We were fortunate to get him into a situation this past week where he had a two-minute. Barring the interception at the end, he took them off of the five-yard line and went 11 plays. I thought he was very efficient moving the team. We have a throw that we would like to have back. It’s a learning curve for Matt. We would like for Matt to get in those situations. We need to get him in some redzone work and hopefully we will be able to do that. The more we can expose our guys to, the better we’re going to be as a football team.”
Q: When will you decide on a starting quarterback?
A: “If clarity comes, then we will make that decision. I said that we were going to give everyone an opportunity to work with the first unit and that’s still the plan.”
Q: Did Tony Taylor do a little bit better on Saturday?
A: “I thought Tony was better against the run in this ball game. I thought he was coming down hill and it was improvement from game one.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan
Q: You’re going to be the starter Friday night.
A: “I talked to Coach Smith about that (starting) before and it’s exciting to get out there and go in right away. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re going to have a good week of preparation and hopefully we can perform on Friday night.”
Q: You’re going to be playing a significant amount of time Friday night. Are you looking forward to getting in a rhythm?
A: “Whenever they tell me I’m done, then I done. But, I’m going to keep going out there as long as they tell me to. Hopefully we can compete and perform well on Friday.”
Q: In the two games you’ve played in so far, what can you take with you as you go into this game?
A: “The biggest thing is that you have to stay composed. When things break down, guys move faster in the NFL then they do in college. So, you have to make smart decisions towards the end of the play. The biggest thing is to stay relaxed, go out there and be composed.”
Q: How much does the running game help you get into a flow?
A: “It’s huge. Anytime you can turn around and hand the ball to a guy like Michael Turner or Jerious Norwood, it’s a huge advantage. Those guys have done such a great job. The key to it is our offensive line. Those guys have been opening up holes. They’ve been doing a really good job so it takes the pressure off of the quarterback.”
Q: Do you think that this is your big shot and you have to do well?
A: “I think you’ve just got to keep doing the same things that you’ve been doing. You can’t try to make it bigger than it is. It’s a good opportunity. Hopefully I can perform well and we can perform well as a team. I don’t think that you can try to make it more than it is.”
Q: Do you feel that you’re on pace to where you want to be?
A: “I don’t think you have any defined expectations coming in because you just don’t know what you’re getting in to. With that said, I think I’ve made pretty good progress. I have continued to improve since I got here in late April. I think I’m a lot further along than I was when I started. Hopefully I can continue to make strides as the year progresses.”
