Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan
On whether players would be ready to take their frustrations out on the Eagles since guys don't usually get handled like they did last week:"Hey, I appreciate you saying that. You know, every game is different and all that kind of stuff, so taking frustrations out – boy, I wish it was that easy. The Eagles are a great football team. I don't know what they're averaging, score-wise, but it's got to be amongst the leaders. I know their offense is in the top six, I believe, in the NFL. So this is no easy task, by any stretch."
On if he expects teams to test them with the run:"I hope so. I mean, yeah, I think so."
On how big of a threat QB Donovan McNabb is to get out of the pocket and run now that his knee is healthy:"Yeah, I guess he's not as fast as he was, but you look at the numbers he puts up and everything else. Gosh, I'm glad we never had to play him five, six years ago. I think we did, but I think we have a couple losses with him. But he's as good a quarterback as you'll face. He gives you that run-pass threat. [He's a] big guy, hard to bring down, so this is going to be a huge challenge for us."
Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron
On Philadelphia's blitzes:"They're outstanding. Obviously, they lead the league in sacks, and Jim [Johnson] has done a tremendous job for a long time on defense. We're still in the preparation stages. They potentially can blitz you in some form or fashion every down. So, we've got our work cut out for us."
On if this game, with all the blitzes, might actually be QB Joe Flacco's biggest test:"To date, it probably is, because they've gotten after every team they've played and pressured them. But this will be a test, not just for him, it's a test for all of us, all the guys who are playing. And that includes everybody in our protection unit, so I think it will be a test, and it's one we're looking forward to."
On if Johnson is hard to prepare for because of the unknown:"There are always some things that you haven't seen on tape, but you try to teach concepts and you'd like to think that your concepts are going to bail you out. And that's in any game, really. But more so in this game than any other one."
On if they brought T Chad Slaughter back in because he was familiar with the offense due to time spent in training camp:"Well, yes. And then secondly, he's an outstanding pass protector, and we were just looking for another guy that potentially could play on the left side and pass protect. And he came and did a nice job before, and he came in, heck, he practiced a lot yesterday and picked up right where he left off."
On the offensive line's injuries:"All those guys are getting healthier. They're healthier today than they were yesterday, and by Sunday we would like to think we're going to have them all. And as you know, we've been nicked up all year long, so guys have been in and out of the lineup, but we'll potentially have a lot of these guys back. Chad Slaughter is more of an insurance policy."
On if it was valuable that rookies G/T David Hale and T Oniel Cousins got some playing time against the Giants:"It was good for both of them. You don't really want to be in that situation, but for them, it was… Especially against a good, solid defense. There were some good things. Dave wasn't out there but a handful of plays, and Oniel was out there a little longer. But they both did some good things in the game."
On if he's been surprised by how well Flacco has been able to run for a 6-foot-6 quarterback:"It's interesting, because one of the things that did show up in the Combine – I'm not a big believer in the combine, per se – but one thing that showed up was that he was an athlete. And you could see that he could run. That showed up in the agility drills. Initially, I knew looking and thinking, 'This guy runs like he's 6-3, 6-4.' And then you meet him. So that was a little bit of a factor."
On if he's concerned that the running game had a tough time getting going against the Giants:"Good defenses make it hard regardless. I think the key to running the football is making sure there's balance. If you're executing the passing game or the running game, it kind of fits a little bit. Usually it hasn't been just the running game. It's been a combination of running ability and executing both areas. This will be another test, because these guys, this is one of the better defenses we've played for sure."
On if he thinks RB Ray Rice is similar to a young Brian Westbrook:"Good question. They're different, and I'd have to think back to when Brian was the same age. Obviously size, you would say [yes]. Good receivers, good runners. I would imagine there are probably some similarities there. But it's probably a little early to make that comparison, to be honest with you."
On if he's talked to coach John Harbaugh about facing a former team, since he did so earlier in the year against Miami:"Well he was there for eight or 10 years. It may be a little bit different. There are, in any situation, emotions that come back. But we're all, I think we've all been here long enough, we know it's about preparing this group of players to play the best we can and you really zero in on that. And usually, maybe after the game, some of those emotions come up. But you really do, you find a way to just zero in on what you've got to do to help your team prepare and win the game, period."
On players like Flacco and Westbrook who have been successful in the NFL coming from the I-AA collegiate level:"Yeah, Kurt Warner. Even though, they're all over this league, and really have been. I remember Darrell Green was the first. I remember when I went to Washington and the fist time I got to see Darrell Green. So really, it's been going on for quite a while. And I think every guy is different, and maybe some of those guys were just flying under the radar coming out of high school for whatever reason. But then there's also some added motivation to prove to people they can play."
On if Flacco understood protections early on or if that has developed throughout the season:"I think Hue [Jackson] has done a great job of just getting him to understand what we're trying to do. At the same time, I think he came in with great understanding because I think they did an outstanding job at Delaware."
Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg
On what challenge Eagles P Sav Rocca presents:"Well, he could play in the wedge, it looks like to me. He's a big, strong guy, and I told our guys when I was going through their personnel that this is a guy that's proven – in the last league he played with – he's got toughness. That alone had probably served him well when you get into this league because he understands the pressures of playing in a competitive environment, and he's not going to shy away from contact."
On what WR/RS Yamon Figurs needs to do to get over the hump:"Well, it's a team effort when you get a return, real frankly. Part of that has been blocking. Part of that has been getting used to the new system that we run. It's different than the one he was in before. Part of it is he's been nicked up a little bit during the course of the season. Hopefully now, he's over that hump, and everybody else in the units understand what they're supposed to do. We're looking for big things from this point forward. We really are. We think we've passed that point where there's any uncertainty about what we're doing, and we think that, down the stretch, we'll see some results from Yamon."
On whether they have addressed what allowed the Giants to get penetration that led to the blocked field goal:"Yes, we do. It's one of those situations where you're preaching it every week, but then, when it happens to you, it slaps you right in the face. You realize all those little things… There's an old expression that, 'It doesn't catch up to you until it catches up to you.' But I think there's been a renewed attention to every little detail in all of our protections as a result of that situation."
On if he would have to go to with other options if Figurs struggles in the return game:"He's our returner right now. We've got him back there. We do have other guys that can return the ball, and they're always looking for opportunities. It's a situation, what we call – as I've said previously – sometimes certain guys run certain returns back. But we expect big things out of Yamon."
