Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: Could you talk about the quick starts and what you have been able to accomplish?
A: “I think we have done a very nice job. I believe we have outscored our opponents 68-14 in the first quarter. I think that says a lot about what we are doing as a coaching staff in preparing our players. I think our guys are coming out and executing very well in the first quarter of the ballgame. We spend a lot of time in scripting our first 15 plays and we have done a very efficient job of doing that. Defensively, I think that our defensive staff has a very good understanding of how our opponents are going to attack us. We have been able to start fast. When you are able to start fast, it opens up a lot of opportunities for us.”
Q: You talked about sustainability and how that is the next level. Is there something that you can work on to help you get there?
A: “I think that you have to always make your players aware of it. We talked about the fact that there are a lot of players in this league that have ability, but the great players have sustainability. Whether it is sustaining from one play to the next or one quarter to the next quarter or from one game to the next game, that’s what the good players do. I think it is a process and it is part of the process that you go through when you are developing your football team. You have to continue to speak to the players about this process and understand that it is not just physical; it is a mental process as well.”
Q: We know that Sam (Baker) is on his way back and that, yesterday, Wayne (Gandy) was able to get some work. Seeing the team without Sam on the left side, do you feel positive about the depth on the offensive line?
A: “We are looking forward to getting Sam back, of course. It is just going to be a matter of time before we are able to set the protocol for his return. We were able to get about 53 plays out of Todd Weiner and we got Wayne in there a little bit at the end of the ballgame. Anytime you can get more guys in the game and get them an opportunity to play in game conditions, I think it is positive for us. Wayne did a nice job in coming in on basically three days of practice. He is an old pro and we will continue to try to indoctrinate him into our program.”
Q: Coming from the AFC, what is your impression of the NFC South?
A: “I thought that it was a very competitive division, although I was looking at it from afar. I had always played two of the teams in the preseason the last few years and have had the NFC South as a crossover. I know that it is very physical and it is competitive. I think that it says that by the number of division champs that we have had over the last few years. I think that proximity-wise it has to be the closest in terms of geographically. It makes for very good rivalries.”
Q: Are you up to speed on the Falcons/Saints rivalry?
A: “I know that they have had some really good battles in years past. As a 2008 team, we really concern ourselves with how these guys play in 2008. This 2008 squad has overcome a number of injuries. I think the Saints are playing very, very efficiently. Offensively, they are one of the top offenses in the National Football League so it will be a big challenge for our defense this week.”
Q: What do think about (John) Abraham’s performance through eight games?
A: “John has done an outstanding job rushing the passer. Yesterday, when he had the three sacks, that was a dominating performance. He had some opportunities for some others in the game. He was very disruptive. John has really had an outstanding season up to this point. To have 10 sacks through eight games is truly phenomenal. He is doing an outstanding job not only on the field, but off the field in his leadership. He is the leader of our defensive line.”
Q: Where does Michael Jenkins rate on the roster in terms of the fastest guys?
A: “I don’t really know in terms of what his 40 time was. I know that for his size he has outstanding speed. It showed yesterday in his two long touchdown passes. Michael had two outstanding catches with great concentration and great routes. Matt (Ryan) was able to get the ball on his body. He reached out. If you watch the replays, you can really tell that he was concentrating on the football. I thought he made great catches.”
Q: Do you think Michael is stepping up there on the other side of Roddy (White)?
A: “I think that Michael has done a nice job. When he has had opportunities for balls to come his way, he has made the play the majority of the time. I can go back and talk about the first play of the season, the long touchdown pass. He ran a great route and made the catch and also there at the end of the game against Chicago. Our receiving corps is maturing very quickly. Roddy, Michael, Harry (Douglas), who has done a nice job for a rookie, Brian Finneran and Laurent Robinson who was back in some extensive action this past week. It was nice to see Laurent back out there. We are going to need all those guys through the second half of the season.”
Q: Is your punt returner situation settled or are you still evaluating?
A: “We are evaluating the punt returner. I thought Harry did a nice job. He averaged 6.5 yards and made some good decisions back there. We also had Brian Finneran go back there. I think as we go through this week we will make a decision in terms of how we are going to decide who is going to return punts this week. As I mentioned last week, we are always evaluating. It is an evaluation process. It is day-to-day, week-to-week, not only based on the game tape but how they perform in practice.”
Q: Is (Domonique) Foxworth completely up to speed on the defense?
A: “I think that Domonique has done a very good job in learning our defense. Anytime you have a guy that you get late in the process—what I mean by late in the process is before the season starts. He did not go through mini-camp, OTAs or training camp. He lost about 3,500 opportunities for snaps and learning our system and being in our system. He is a pro and he has been in this league for four years. He knows how to play the game and I think he is doing a good job in getting up to speed.”
Q: Heath-wise, how are you coming out of Oakland?
A: “In talking with Ron (Medlin), we have some bumps and bruises. Anytime you run the football 57 times, it’s going to be a physical football game. In terms of the guys who were injured last week going into this game, they are continuing to get better. There were no new surprises in terms of injuries coming out of the game, just some bumps and bruises. We will get a better feel of what is going on Wednesday.”
Q: What makes Drew Brees such a good quarterback?
A: “I think that Drew is playing as efficient as any quarterback in this league right now. He has a very good scheme. I think that what they do schematically is very difficult to defend. They have a number of weapons all across the board. If they have all of their weapons, they are very, very good. He has a very good understanding of where to put the football. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly. They do not give up a whole lot of sacks and he has a number of weapons. I think that is really what separates him from the other quarterbacks in this league.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-RAIDERS GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AF.com
- GAME RECAP: Defense smothers, offense sizzles in big win
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the press box
- GAME BLOG: Live notes in the FalconsLIFE game blog
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from the NFL.com Game Center
- J. MIKE'S BLOG: News and comment from the AF.com Managing Editor
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Matt Ryan
- PHOTOS: Pictures from the Falcons-Raiders game
- NFL NETWORK: Game Highlights | Michael Turner Highlights | Matt Ryan Highlights
- INACTIVES: Inactives and starters from the Falcons-Raiders game
