Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo
Q: Did all those dropped passes come as a complete shock to you?
A: No, most of them were contested. When you get tight coverage, you are playing a lot of press man to man coverage to create some separation. When you get contested throws and contested balls, you have to reach out and pluck them with your hands. When you let them get to you, the defense has a better opportunity to make a play on the ball and you have less of a chance to come up with it.
Q: In your grading, did you grade those as drops?
A: Yes, drops.
Q: What about the fact that there is a lack of separation there?
A: It starts with fundamentals and goes into being physical. We are going to see the same thing this week. We are going to see physical corners. We are going to have to do a good job at the line of scrimmage getting those guys off their ... We are going to have to be physical with them and create some separation at the top of the routes.
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Q: How do you get a fast start? **
A: It goes into your week of preparation. This is a short week, so we need to hunker down. We didn't do that last week. We felt going into halftime that we could have had 10-14 points on the board. That was disappointing. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities, but that is behind us now. We need to finish up the week well and be ready to cash in on Sunday.
Q: It was pretty noticeable you took more chances down the field in the passing game the other night… Is that something you are going to stick with?
A: Every week is a different week. You put together a plan that you think gives you the best chance to win, obviously. We felt that gave us a chance to win. We did a nice job with protection early up front. We had some chances down the field to make some throws and make some catches and we didn't come up the way we would like to. We have eight games left. We have a big one this week. We need to take advantage and execute better this week.
Q: Do you shy away from [taking chances downfield] because they didn't connect?
A: Never. You don't ever go into a game scared. You go in and trust your plan and trust your preparation. We hit those throws and made those plays in practice last week. We are going to practice hard and take care of the execution and fundamentals and the physicality this week in practice and go out and expect to execute on Sunday.
Q: Is there any pattern to what is going wrong on the opening drive?
A: We need to start faster. We need to come out of the gate with energy, with some confidence, with some enthusiasm and there are times we felt that we moved the ball early, but we just didn't finish off drives.
Q: Has it made you week to week re-think what you want to put in those sequences of plays?
A: Starting fast is important. We put time into it. Finishing strong is more important, but at the same point and time, we sure would like to start faster. We need to do a better job there. Every game is a different game. You don't go in with the same set of plays for each game to start out with. You have some things you hang your hat on. A lot of the times it has been third down conversions, whether we have been behind the chains early or just haven't started out quickly on first and second down the way we would like.
Q: Some teams did not throw at Richard Sherman once… What is your philosophy?
A: If I would tell you my feeling on that, that would help the opponent. We go in and look at all the one on one matchups as well as the scheme the opponent plays and what you hang your hat on and how it matches up with how they played. Everything is looked at.
Q: How do you think your receivers coming off a rough game match up with [Seattle's] secondary?
A: Hopefully hungry.
Q: Do you think there is going to be more of an effort to get Peyton Hills and Michael Cox involved in the running game?
A: We are going to use all our guys. We have a lot of faith in Andre [Williams] and he is going to get an opportunity to run the ball again, as well as the other two guys. We are going to use them all.
Q: It seemed like Odell [Beckham Jr.] got more opportunities in the slot… Did you like what you saw from him on Monday night?
A: He is a young receiver, like I said earlier in the year. He hasn't practiced a lot, but he is very conscientious. He works and stays late to put the time in to learn all the spots. Not just conceptually, but how to run things. We have a lot on his plate and he has responded well.
Q: Did Corey [Washington] show you enough to get into the rotation earlier in games?
A: It was good to see Corey come out and make some plays.
Q: Does that earn more playing time?
A: We will evaluate that as we get closer to the game. We just had one day of practice and the last game as well as that week's practice determine playing time. He certainly did show up and make some nice plays.
Q: Do you see things from Andre [Williams] that encourage you?
A: Yes, he made a nice play in the passing game, coming out of the backfield on a burst, making a nice catch, turning up field and breaking a tackle and almost getting it into the end zone. When we get him cleanly to the second level, he does a nice job there. We need to do a better job up front. I need to do a better job. We need to get him some clean looks at some runs.
Q: In terms of getting cleanly to the second level, is that on him or the blocking?
A: It is a combination of everything. It's a combination up front with the tight ends, the offensive line, and the play-caller and with the backs. It is a combination of everyone.
Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell**
Q: What do you guys have to do to overcome your significant losses at cornerback? A: Well, we have to simplify our package. Obviously, when you have new faces, you can't, you will not, do as much as you have done in the past, and you have to quickly find out what the strengths of the new faces are, and how much terminology they can digest in a short amount of time. Kind of ….things to accommodate the new faces. **Q: Even when you had your starters in place, it took a little while to build that chemistry. Now you are bringing guys in who will probably have to play. How do they get that chemistry in such a short period of time?
A: I don't know if they can actually develop a lot of chemistry, but what we are going to have to do is develop some know-how of what concepts we are trying to do and try to be in the positions that we should be in, and our veterans have to help the guys that are just coming in with the call, repeat the call to them so we can all be on the same page. I don't know if you can develop the chemistry like, "hey, if I am up, you're back." They have to talk to each other a lot more instead of just looking at the body language of the person like they would've been playing with in the past played.* *
Q: A loud place to talk to each other.
A: Yes, it is. They have to develop some hand signals. When you say chemistry, those are the little things that go into it. They have to get in the meeting at 7:30 tomorrow morning and they have to work these things out. They have very little time for chemistry, chemistry. It has to have a system to develop their communication.Q: When Prince Amukamara went down and you heard he was gone for the season, was some part of you saying, "really?"
A: It is really unfortunate; I thought Prince Amukamara was having a good year. He was playing tough, and he was playing aggressive. Did he win every battle? No, but I thought he improved a lot from a year ago, and I thought he was making strides. That loss is a significant loss, as well as those other losses.* *Q: Then you come in today and you see that Zack Bowman is not here.
A: Yeah.* *Q: Did you look up again?
A: Well, I always look up. I am a man of faith.* *Q: Is there any chance you have him Sunday?
A: That is a medical. I am day to day, just like you are on day to day.* *Q: Do you need more from your defensive line and that front four pressure-wise, almost maybe camouflage some of the new faces of the secondary?
A: I thought our defensive line played well Monday night for the most part in getting pressure and hits on the quarterback. Robert Ayers, I thought, came to the forefront and played pretty well and if we can get Jason Pierre-Paul to play his normal productive football, then that would definitely help us.* *Q: Did you see enough from Robert Ayers to put him on the edge, or do you still like his role in the old Nascar when you move guys around?
A: Yeah, we saw enough to put him on the edge, no doubt about. We still like matching up because the game a lot of times is about can you match up and take advantage of a guard or a tackle, or what have you. We would definitely put Robert Ayers on the edge.* *Q: If Zack Bowman can't go, who moves outside? Jayron Hosley?
A: Jayron Hosley will go outside.* *Q: And then you would put who in the slot?
A: He would go outside in just a base defense, but he will still be our slot corner.* *Q: He will be in the slot?
A: Yes.* *Q: So you would have Chandler Fenner outside?
A: It will be Chandler Fenner outside.* *Q: He is not as experienced as the other guys but he is more ready would you say?
A: Chandler Fenner? He has been in the meeting room, he has better chemistry, I will go back to that word. He has better chemistry in hearing what we have done throughout the season than the other guys. We are going to get the other guys ready.* *Q: How different is the Seattle offense from the one you saw last year here?
A: They don't look too much different to me, they are pretty explosive. The run game is still good with Marshawn Lynch. I think the quarterback is dynamic in the sense that he makes it all tick for them. I think the receivers are very good. Maybe the offensive line is not as together right now as they were clicking last year. That might be the only little tick in the armor.* *Q: Can you go back to last year's game plan and pull from that, or is this just kind of a start from scratch kind of thing?
A: We will pull from some of the things we did a year ago. I think the design of the offense is basically the same. They are a big, physical football team. They have a lot of weapons, they can spread you out and do a lot of different things, but we will pull from last year's game plan.* *Q: It seems like you got a little more exotic with the packages against the Colts, and definitely more…..Jay Bromley. Is that something you feel you can still do even with some of the new faces in the secondary?
A: That is an ongoing process in my mind and the coaches' minds. When you have the new faces, you have to pull back some. Some of those things we have been working on and we have been trying to really bring to the forefront throughout the season, and we felt like we had enough of an opportunity to bring those out Monday night. Unfortunately, we had two guys go down, or we had one guy go down, and it depends on Zack Bowman. If Zack Bowman is here with us, then yes, we can continue to do some things like that. If he is not, then we have to pull back even more.* *Q: How do you feel Jay Bromley and Damontre Moore played on Monday?
A: Jay Bromley did well for his second opportunity. I looked for a little more productivity out of Damontre Moore, I thought he had a number of rushes that he could've had a little more productivity out of. For the most part, they hustled, they tried hard. I wasn't disappointed in their effort.* *Q: I imagine you will be in a little more base look this week with their running game. That would be more Devon Kennard? Last week was his first start on paper.
A: Yeah, I thought Devon Kennard played well on paper, really in the ball game. He didn't have any glaring hiccups that hurt the defense. He is a physical guy and we tried to use him in the rush package a little bit last week. We will have that same kind of thought process with him this week.* *Q: Bringing those exotic looks, does it also temper the idea that Russell Wilson is the kind of guy that has shown if there is nothing there, he is going to tuck and run. If you bring too much, that he can squirt free and really make you pay?
A: Sometimes when you design those things, you design them so that they don't have room to squirt free. You are trying to fill up different areas of the gaps in the offense so that he doesn't have the clear lane, that clear vision to run, and you are trying to secure the edges so he doesn't have a place to go on the edge also. We will try to do our best to make sure he doesn't have that clear vision because I think he is the number one rushing quarterback on third down in the league. He has really hurt a lot of people on third down running the football. We will try to contain him as best we possibly can.* *Q: Antrel Rolle talked this week about pulse and passion, not seeing enough of that. Defensively, is that up to where you want it to be?
A: This is my perspective. We have lost three games in a row. When you lose two or three games in a row, and you are fighting hard, you are searching, trying to find what's that missing element that can take you over the top. I think our guys are really playing hard, sometimes we are not playing smart, but I think they are giving great effort in what we are doing. When you have lost three games in a row, you are trying to find that little peel, that little thing that will help take you over the top, or get more guys pumped up, or make guys mad, or what have you. I think maybe in his own way, that is what he is trying to do, get guys to, "hey man, we are fighting for our lives, for a victory, we're playing like this is the last play of our football career." I think he is trying to get guys to see that, that every play has to be played that way.**
Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn**
Q: Are you concerned about Steve Weatherford, who did not practice yesterday?
A: It's always a concern when you can't practice. He (Weatherford) needs to practice. That's where the biggest concern comes in.
Q: Because he's gone pretty much the whole season, but the back is a new issue.
A: Yeah, so we're dealing with it the best we can. We hope to get him some reps tomorrow.
Q: Can you hold it off and go with Josh or are you going to have to bring in a punter if he can't go?
A: I don't know. We'd have to make that decision if medically there is an issue. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. That's why we work guys out during the year, to have a short list. We've got that prepared if it's needed.
Q: Percy Harvin is gone from their team. Do they have anybody else?
A: Yeah, they've got (Paul) Richardson. He's really dynamic back there. He's kind of picked up where Percy left off so it will be a big challenge. They do a good job blocking, so it will be a challenge.
