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Mr. Fixit
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Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson
December 13, 2007 | Last Updated: 12/13/07 1:34 PM ET | Comments (0)
On whether the Cowboys have become even more efficient since the first game: "I know one thing, they were pretty efficient the first time we saw them against us. It was probably our worst defensive game, to tell you the truth. They've been steady. They've had some close games, but they're putting points on the board and moving the ball about every game you see. Even though they've had some close games, offensively they're right with the Patriots."
On Cowboys QB Tony Romo: "He's probably a guy who has much better vision this year than last year. If the first receiver's not there, he goes to the second. If the second's not there, he goes to the third. He's been very effective on check downs when people take away their main receiver. That's what I see; I see a guy who is getting rid of the ball. Not just throwing it away, but going to the second, third, and fourth receivers. He's doing a great job with that; probably as good as anybody in the league right now."
On whether Romo is the best quarterback he's faced in the division since he's been in the league: "It's been about nine years now, that's a tough one. He's as good, right now, he's playing at as high-performance as I've seen since I've been here. I can't think of anyone else in the division who has played like him."
On whether the Cowboys are still as effective offensively without Romo at quarterback: "(WR Terrell Owens) and (TE Jason) Witten (are) two of the premier players. He's doing a good job of getting the ball to the running backs and (WR Patrick) Crayton. There's no question, he's got some good weapons, but he's playing well. He's a steady quarterback."
On how Owens got so open so many times in the first game: "We weren't as good, as far as playing man coverage on him. I think we'll be better in that. We had some blown coverages, to tell you the truth. It came down to that, we gave up big plays. That's part of guys not being here for a while and not practicing, but we'll get that straightened out. That was the biggest thing."
On whether the cornerbacks are concerned about the number of yards given up in the passing game this season: "I'm concerned. They've got to have a short memory and I think they've got to still be making sure it doesn't bother them and still be aggressive. We need to make sure we're in great position, as far as man coverage or blitzes. They've got confidence and I want their confidence back, too."
On why the secondary has struggled: "I don't think I can pinpoint one thing; I think it's kind of a combination. Sometimes, it's guys working together and sometimes it's mishandling the coverage, that's all. I don't think it's one thing. I wish I could put it on one thing, but it's not."
On what makes Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett special: "It's hard to say, because he's been in the league a very short time. Even after going against him the first time, I know a little bit more about him. He is a typical guy who does a lot of changing of personnel, scripting plays, different plays every game you see. He's very innovative; he comes up with different things all the time. You have to be on your toes and make sure you can handle all of his formation adjustments. That's the biggest thing."
On whether they use Witten differently than other teams use their tight ends: "I don't think they use him any differently except for the fact that he's such a big target out there. He's a big strong tight end. You might have a linebacker on him and he'll muscle a linebacker. You might have a safety on him and he'll muscle a safety. He's just a big tight end. He doesn't get downfield as well as some other tight ends like (Giants TE Jeremy) Shockey, but he's such a physical guy on his short routes."
On Romo's ability to check down to the running backs the last time they played the Eagles: "That was the biggest thing he did a good job of, I thought, besides us having a couple of bad coverages. I thought he did a great job of getting the ball to the backs on the check down. We've got to take care of that."
On whether Witten is similar to former Cowboys TE Jay Novacek: "He's a little bit different. They're using him quite a bit, but Novacek was almost like a wide receiver playing tight end. This is a tight end playing tight end. He's such a physical guy. Novacek was never a physical tight end; he was more of a wide receiver playing tight end."
On whether he is pleased with his defense so far this season: "I've said this before, I wish there was some consistency. I'm still concerned (about that) every once in a while. We play and play and all of a sudden we give up a big run or pass. That's the biggest thing. Some of those are calls too. The other day, I called a blitz and maybe I wish I didn't call a blitz. It hurt us, so there are things I wish I had back too. Probably jus the consistency of the big plays."
On why the defense has struggled to get sacks late in the season over the past two years: "I really don't know. I don't have an answer for that. As long as we keep pressuring the quarterback, we might not get the sacks, whether it's blitzes or alignment. (DE) Trent (Cole) is doing a great job, as far as pressuring, and (DE Juqua Thomas). But, I really don't have an answer for that, I really don't."
On how he gauges LB Stewart Bradley's progress when he only plays on special teams: "It's hard to. All we know about Stewart is that we think he's going to be a fine prospect because he's doing a good job on special teams. You always like to see your linebackers playing well on special teams. He's a big guy, he can run, he's a strong guy, and he's got a future here with the Eagles. We'll see how it goes next year."
On when it is appropriate to start taking a look at the younger prospects who are currently backups: "Not yet."
On whether he imagined he would use S J.R. Reed so much on defense this year: "No, I couldn't. Like I said before, the guy has a great heart, to believe he's doing what he's doing after two years ago. I never thought he'd be able to walk right again. To play football the way he is, and he's contributing, he's got a big heart; he really does. He's fighting through some things that probably bother him, as far as that foot, but he plays fast and he's getting very productive."
On DTs Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson: "I think they play well together. They kind of know each other now and have been given a lot of reps together; probably too many reps. I'd like to rotate a little more. They're both steady. They're both playing with injuries and they're banged up and bruised a little bit, but you can't get them off the field. They both have good character. We really need to rest them a little bit more and try to get (DT) Kimo (von Oelhoffen) a little bit more in the rotation this week."
On how von Oelhoffen has looked so far this year: "He's doing a good job and he's going to play a little more this week. He's doing a good job."
On why he's not ready to start taking a look at some of the younger players in the game: "Right now, we're going to play the best guys who are going to give us a chance to win the football game. There might be a time we say we want to look at them, but not right now."
On whether Owens and Patriots WR Randy Moss are different players: "It shouldn't be. That's the same type of character we're going against. We didn't do a good job against T.O. last time. I know our guys are up to it and we'll see how it goes."
On how LB Omar Gaither has handled playing in the middle: "I think he's been a very solid linebacker. I think he's been productive. I think he's handled this defense well, as far as two-minute situations, clutch situations. He's come up and handled things. He kind of knows what I want. Sometimes, I don't even have to signal defenses in. he kind of knows what I want. He's really doing some good things that way, and he's being very productive."
On whether he plans to be more physical with Owens: "Being physical, and they move him around quite a bit. We have to make sure we're in the right combination coverage, depending on where he is. This is one thing that Jason Garrett has done; he's moved T.O. around a lot. It's not just one wide receiver to the single side or the weak side or the strong side. He's moved them all over, he's moved them to the backfield. That's what you have to kind of pay attention to—where he is lined up."
On whether they use Owens in motion often: "Yes, that's a big thing they're doing right now."
On whether Gaither has done enough to establish himself as the middle linebacker: "I have a lot of confidence in him right now. I think he'll get better. I think he's a football player and he'll get better."
On whether CB Lito Sheppard's struggles have affected the team's defense: "I know Lito has struggled a little bit. The guy is a good football player. He's been injured. It hurts when you're injured and don't have training camp or the first part of the year to get ready. He's still kind of working his way back. I think he's healthy now and I expect a good game from him on Sunday."
On whether Gaither is the long-term solution at middle linebacker: "I didn't say that. That's not written in stone, I just think he'll be on the field. But, I'm happy with him at middle linebacker."
On where Bradley fits into the linebacking corps: "I think that's one thing we're going to find out in the next year a little bit. Do we want him as a strongside linebacker or a middle linebacker? He's kind of a backup at both right now. It's just one step away from an injury and all of a sudden he's right back up in there, so we'll see. I like him as a MIKE linebacker, but we'll just have to see. I'm not sure yet. I hope it's a nice problem we have."
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=14748
December 13, 2007 | Last Updated: 12/13/07 1:34 PM ET | Comments (0)
On whether the Cowboys have become even more efficient since the first game: "I know one thing, they were pretty efficient the first time we saw them against us. It was probably our worst defensive game, to tell you the truth. They've been steady. They've had some close games, but they're putting points on the board and moving the ball about every game you see. Even though they've had some close games, offensively they're right with the Patriots."
On Cowboys QB Tony Romo: "He's probably a guy who has much better vision this year than last year. If the first receiver's not there, he goes to the second. If the second's not there, he goes to the third. He's been very effective on check downs when people take away their main receiver. That's what I see; I see a guy who is getting rid of the ball. Not just throwing it away, but going to the second, third, and fourth receivers. He's doing a great job with that; probably as good as anybody in the league right now."
On whether Romo is the best quarterback he's faced in the division since he's been in the league: "It's been about nine years now, that's a tough one. He's as good, right now, he's playing at as high-performance as I've seen since I've been here. I can't think of anyone else in the division who has played like him."
On whether the Cowboys are still as effective offensively without Romo at quarterback: "(WR Terrell Owens) and (TE Jason) Witten (are) two of the premier players. He's doing a good job of getting the ball to the running backs and (WR Patrick) Crayton. There's no question, he's got some good weapons, but he's playing well. He's a steady quarterback."
On how Owens got so open so many times in the first game: "We weren't as good, as far as playing man coverage on him. I think we'll be better in that. We had some blown coverages, to tell you the truth. It came down to that, we gave up big plays. That's part of guys not being here for a while and not practicing, but we'll get that straightened out. That was the biggest thing."
On whether the cornerbacks are concerned about the number of yards given up in the passing game this season: "I'm concerned. They've got to have a short memory and I think they've got to still be making sure it doesn't bother them and still be aggressive. We need to make sure we're in great position, as far as man coverage or blitzes. They've got confidence and I want their confidence back, too."
On why the secondary has struggled: "I don't think I can pinpoint one thing; I think it's kind of a combination. Sometimes, it's guys working together and sometimes it's mishandling the coverage, that's all. I don't think it's one thing. I wish I could put it on one thing, but it's not."
On what makes Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett special: "It's hard to say, because he's been in the league a very short time. Even after going against him the first time, I know a little bit more about him. He is a typical guy who does a lot of changing of personnel, scripting plays, different plays every game you see. He's very innovative; he comes up with different things all the time. You have to be on your toes and make sure you can handle all of his formation adjustments. That's the biggest thing."
On whether they use Witten differently than other teams use their tight ends: "I don't think they use him any differently except for the fact that he's such a big target out there. He's a big strong tight end. You might have a linebacker on him and he'll muscle a linebacker. You might have a safety on him and he'll muscle a safety. He's just a big tight end. He doesn't get downfield as well as some other tight ends like (Giants TE Jeremy) Shockey, but he's such a physical guy on his short routes."
On Romo's ability to check down to the running backs the last time they played the Eagles: "That was the biggest thing he did a good job of, I thought, besides us having a couple of bad coverages. I thought he did a great job of getting the ball to the backs on the check down. We've got to take care of that."
On whether Witten is similar to former Cowboys TE Jay Novacek: "He's a little bit different. They're using him quite a bit, but Novacek was almost like a wide receiver playing tight end. This is a tight end playing tight end. He's such a physical guy. Novacek was never a physical tight end; he was more of a wide receiver playing tight end."
On whether he is pleased with his defense so far this season: "I've said this before, I wish there was some consistency. I'm still concerned (about that) every once in a while. We play and play and all of a sudden we give up a big run or pass. That's the biggest thing. Some of those are calls too. The other day, I called a blitz and maybe I wish I didn't call a blitz. It hurt us, so there are things I wish I had back too. Probably jus the consistency of the big plays."
On why the defense has struggled to get sacks late in the season over the past two years: "I really don't know. I don't have an answer for that. As long as we keep pressuring the quarterback, we might not get the sacks, whether it's blitzes or alignment. (DE) Trent (Cole) is doing a great job, as far as pressuring, and (DE Juqua Thomas). But, I really don't have an answer for that, I really don't."
On how he gauges LB Stewart Bradley's progress when he only plays on special teams: "It's hard to. All we know about Stewart is that we think he's going to be a fine prospect because he's doing a good job on special teams. You always like to see your linebackers playing well on special teams. He's a big guy, he can run, he's a strong guy, and he's got a future here with the Eagles. We'll see how it goes next year."
On when it is appropriate to start taking a look at the younger prospects who are currently backups: "Not yet."
On whether he imagined he would use S J.R. Reed so much on defense this year: "No, I couldn't. Like I said before, the guy has a great heart, to believe he's doing what he's doing after two years ago. I never thought he'd be able to walk right again. To play football the way he is, and he's contributing, he's got a big heart; he really does. He's fighting through some things that probably bother him, as far as that foot, but he plays fast and he's getting very productive."
On DTs Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson: "I think they play well together. They kind of know each other now and have been given a lot of reps together; probably too many reps. I'd like to rotate a little more. They're both steady. They're both playing with injuries and they're banged up and bruised a little bit, but you can't get them off the field. They both have good character. We really need to rest them a little bit more and try to get (DT) Kimo (von Oelhoffen) a little bit more in the rotation this week."
On how von Oelhoffen has looked so far this year: "He's doing a good job and he's going to play a little more this week. He's doing a good job."
On why he's not ready to start taking a look at some of the younger players in the game: "Right now, we're going to play the best guys who are going to give us a chance to win the football game. There might be a time we say we want to look at them, but not right now."
On whether Owens and Patriots WR Randy Moss are different players: "It shouldn't be. That's the same type of character we're going against. We didn't do a good job against T.O. last time. I know our guys are up to it and we'll see how it goes."
On how LB Omar Gaither has handled playing in the middle: "I think he's been a very solid linebacker. I think he's been productive. I think he's handled this defense well, as far as two-minute situations, clutch situations. He's come up and handled things. He kind of knows what I want. Sometimes, I don't even have to signal defenses in. he kind of knows what I want. He's really doing some good things that way, and he's being very productive."
On whether he plans to be more physical with Owens: "Being physical, and they move him around quite a bit. We have to make sure we're in the right combination coverage, depending on where he is. This is one thing that Jason Garrett has done; he's moved T.O. around a lot. It's not just one wide receiver to the single side or the weak side or the strong side. He's moved them all over, he's moved them to the backfield. That's what you have to kind of pay attention to—where he is lined up."
On whether they use Owens in motion often: "Yes, that's a big thing they're doing right now."
On whether Gaither has done enough to establish himself as the middle linebacker: "I have a lot of confidence in him right now. I think he'll get better. I think he's a football player and he'll get better."
On whether CB Lito Sheppard's struggles have affected the team's defense: "I know Lito has struggled a little bit. The guy is a good football player. He's been injured. It hurts when you're injured and don't have training camp or the first part of the year to get ready. He's still kind of working his way back. I think he's healthy now and I expect a good game from him on Sunday."
On whether Gaither is the long-term solution at middle linebacker: "I didn't say that. That's not written in stone, I just think he'll be on the field. But, I'm happy with him at middle linebacker."
On where Bradley fits into the linebacking corps: "I think that's one thing we're going to find out in the next year a little bit. Do we want him as a strongside linebacker or a middle linebacker? He's kind of a backup at both right now. It's just one step away from an injury and all of a sudden he's right back up in there, so we'll see. I like him as a MIKE linebacker, but we'll just have to see. I'm not sure yet. I hope it's a nice problem we have."
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=14748
