Q & A Trent Green 10/14

[KingPriest2]

Q&A QB Trent Green
Oct 14, 2004, 3:37:33 PM


Q: What will getting Eddie Kennison back this week do for the passing game?



GREEN: “Hopefully what it’s going to do is open things up more. Before we talk about Eddie, we need to talk about how well Chris Horn did in the Baltimore game. Going in that situation, obviously a high-pressure situation and getting his first really extended action and playing very well but I think what Eddie brings is, number one, brings a little more speed. You know he’s obviously been there done that, being in the league he’s got the experience, been in this offense for a few more years. Overall I think it will help the whole passing game.”

Q: Will he help make the passing game more vertical?

GREEN: “I hope so. That’s kind of what we’ve been lacking this year in terms of our passing game. And a lot of that is, people think big plays have to be big throws downfield, but a lot of that is yards after catch or catching an underneath route that breaks for 20-25 yards. We just haven’t been getting a lot of that. Most of our drives the last couple of weeks have been mainly long, sustained 10 to 14-play drives, which obviously we’ll take that too – there’s nothing wrong with that – but where we’ve had success in the past couple years is being able to have some of those bigger plays in terms of yards up the field.”

Q: Do you feel that you and Eddie have your rhythm down?

GREEN: “Well a lot of it, number one, has to do with if he’s not our fastest (receiver) he’s one of our fastest. When he came in that first year in ‘01, I don’t know if you remember how that year was going in the passing game, but when he came in all of a sudden we started getting big plays and it started to open things up and so that’s really what he brings. Hopefully that will be the same equation this week and throughout the season. Not only for his veteran leadership but also from a speed standpoint.”

Q: Is Johnnie Morton becoming a guy you trust in third-down situations?

GREEN: “He’s played very well the last couple of weeks. It’s exciting to see because I didn’t know what I was going to have with him missing all of training camp. We didn’t know from week to week if he was going to play. They told us it was an injury that was going to affect him all year long and it’s just a matter monitoring what he does in practice, limiting the number of reps he has, so he can stay fresh on Sundays. For the last two games he’s played incredible well and hopefully that will increase his confidence. Obviously it increases my confidence in him that I can go to him in those clutch situations and that he’ll just continue to come up with those big plays. He’s had a lot of, like you said, those third down conversions but he’s also had a lot of catches in traffic when someone’s hanging off of him and that’s what we need out of him.”

Q: Like that catch he had early in game against Baltimore.

GREEN: “On that particular play, I think it was early in the game, I think it was the first drive, they ended up bringing a safety blitz on that and for that specific week and that specific protection, our adjustment was to almost throw that like a quick fade because the DB was in a press technique. Every week we turn that around but it just so happened that game. He got good separation and made a nice catch on the sideline and it was huge because it kept that drive alive.”

Q: Just how aggressive is that Jacksonville defense?

GREEN: “That’s the misconception. Just because they’re so good, people think they’re a high pressure team because they do a good job of limiting offenses in terms of yards and numbers. Obviously last week was a setback, but if you look back at prior weeks against Tennessee and Indianapolis and what they were able to do, what they’d really like to do and what we’ve seen on film is they like to play a little softer coverage, they try and keep everything in front of them. It’s kind of like what Denver does, and I think they’re the number one ranked defense in the league, they make sure there’s no big plays, they try to keep everything in front of them and they just make sure they do a good job a tackling. So because of the numbers they have, everybody thinks that they’re a big pressure team, but they really don’t blitz their linebackers a whole lot. Occasionally they’ll bring them, occasionally they’ll bring (S) Donovin Darius – he’s one of the best safeties in the league I feel – so there are occasions when they’ll bring him but I feel that it’s more of a read and react defense and try and keep everything in front and be explosive on the attack.”

Q: Does having the hot, humid Florida weather that is forecasted effect the visiting team?

GREEN: “This is the first I’ve heard of it. So yeah it will based on the temperatures (here) today, the last couple of days. Obviously its probably going to mean more for the big guys that it will for the smaller guys. It’s going to be important and I’m sure the coaches, trainers and everybody will stress that when you’re flying you lose water, so they’ll be stressing from the second we take off in the plane, that we’re hydrating enough. That could be an issue, especially if it’s a game like we had in Baltimore in terms of the number of minutes we’re on the field as an offense. We don’t anticipate that every week but if that ends up being how we’re able to move the football, yeah, that may be an issue.”

Q: Does the bye week interrupt the momentum you had after the win in Baltimore?

GREEN: “I really don’t think it will interrupt it. I have a hard time saying we have momentum; we’ve only won one game. In order to create momentum you need to start stringing them back-to-back-to-back and right now we’ve only won one game. What it has done has taken a big lift off our shoulders. Starting 0-3 obviously didn’t live up to the expectations that we had, the fans had, everybody had and what it did was just relieved some of that weight on our shoulders. It also showed us, that when we play they way we’re capable of playing, against a very good defense from an offensive standpoint – and the way our defense played against one of the best rushing offenses in the league – it gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season that when we do play our best that we can come out with the win.”

Q: Guys in the locker room seem rejuvenated. Have you ever seen one win have that kind of effect?

GREEN: “I don’t have one game that sticks out in my mind. If you look back at last season, when you look at the Denver game, Dante’s (Hall) return, the Baltimore game, the Green Bay game, I mean there’s certain games within the season that can change momentum and can change attitudes. I think the frustration of the 0-3 start, that was definitely something we needed. And you’re correct in saying that its definitely reenergized people. This is so hard to say, because its not like we weren’t focused or weren’t practicing or preparing hard, but when you go out to practices now, meetings, there’s an extra step. When you lose a couple games in a row it just takes its toll. As much as you don’t want to and as positive as you want to stay and looking forward as you try and do, when you start having back-to-back losses it just weighs on you. Because of that win last week there’s definitely more hop in everybody’s step.”

Q: Can it can disappear just as quickly?

GREEN: “That’s definitely the case. That’s why it’s a week to week deal.”

Q: Do you look at it in terms of how you won that game, they way you won?

GREEN: “Well there’s a lot that can come from that. If it had been a situation where we didn’t get as many yards and the defense hadn’t played as we did, and we won the game on special teams or turnovers (instead), but to win it the way we did you can gain a lot of confidence out of that – on both sides of the ball.”

Q: Can you look at Jacksonville’s performance on defense last week as an aberration? GREEN: “That’s really the mindset that we’re taking. It’s better to look at their first four games to see what type of defense they are, rather than they’re last game at San Diego. Just like for us; we don’t like the look of those first two, three games as what we are as a team. We like to look at the Baltimore game and some of the positives we had in the Houston game. So I’m certain that’s what their coaches and players are emphasizing; one game does not diminish everything we’ve accomplished early in the season. Let’s push that game away and get back to what we do, just like we’ve done as a team as well. Let’s hang our hats on the good things we did against Baltimore not the negative things that happened early in the year. That’s the way we’re going about it.”

Q: Drew Brees really hurt Jacksonville with his TE, is that match up something you can use this week?

GREEN: “That’s one big area they took advantage of, but when you have a running attack that gets almost 200 yards it can open up the tight end as well. Generally when you talk about your play action stuff, that’s usually the target most times. With the safeties coming down and the linebackers affected by the run, that’s where the tight end gets in the crease behind those guys. When you look at the San Diego film, that’s where they had a lot of success and I’m not going to put him (TE Antonio Gates) in Tony’s (Gonzalez) class yet, but he definitely shows a lot of skill. He’s a very gifted tight end.”