Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan
Q: How different is it from preparing in week one with the Tebow thing that they're doing? Obviously, they are playing more spread, more stuff to suit to what he does as opposed to what they were doing with Kyle [Orton]…
Coach Bresnahan: There is a change. I'd be lying to you if I said there wasn't, but at the same time, you still want to prepare the way we prepare – is worry about what we do and not so much what your opponent does. But because he brings a whole different level in the run game, the option, that zone option read, the whole thing that he does in the quarterback draws and the scrambling after the play to extend plays, you have to prepare for that. But in the pass game, it's basically the same type of preparation. You take their top routes and you match your coverages to best fit their route combinations and what they do with Tim. But, we've got to be ready for anything so again, we prepare for what we do and kind of put everything else in perspective.
Q: Opinions on him vary so widely as to whether he can be a quality NFL quarterback or whether he can't be. Just taking all of that emotion out of it for second – from a distance looking at him, what do you see? What's dangerous about him? How can he beat you if things don't go well?
Coach Bresnahan: To me, I see a talented football team. I see an offense that's trying to take advantage of his skill set and it's not my job to grade them. Until I get paid by Pat Bowlen, I'm not going to grade them on their efficiency or effectiveness. I'm just going to prepare ourselves to defend what they are trying to do with him and the rest of the people around him. He's still got a talented group around him. He's got two dynamite running backs. He's got some talented wide receivers, tight ends that are effective down the pipe, so we have got to be ready to go. If you guys remember now, they still rushed for 195 yards last week against Detroit in a loss. They had 50 some yards on the first five plays of the game so again, we've got our work cut out for us. We approach it like any other game.
Q: He has been sacked 13 times I think already. Is that inexperience or indecision? What has gone into that?
Coach Bresnahan: Well, I think it's a little bit of everything. I think they are getting in sync as an entire offense. I don't put that entirely on Tim. I think it's a whole offense trying to get in sync with what they're doing to take advantage, like I said, of his skill sets tied in with everybody else. So, we look at that. That gets us into a certain approach when we get into the pass game, but in order to get to the pass game you have to stop the run. So I will always go back to that. That's why I brought up the 195-yards rushing in kind of a lopsided loss; you don't usually see that. To get into the passing game, you have to stop the run.
Q: It seems like he is able to extend plays and especially pass plays, he can scramble around back there. How much pressure does that put on the secondary?
Coach Bresnahan: It does, it does. I mean every team has what they call plaster rules so when the quarterback breaks containment, you have got to plaster your receivers and you anticipate short receivers going deep – excuse me, deep receivers going shallow and adjusting to where the quarterback goes to. So, we work that every week and he's a guy that you may put a little more emphasis on it earlier in the week. But again, you've got to prepare just like you do every week in the pass game and defend the combination routes. That's what you've got to do; don't turn people clean.
Q: You talk about stopping the run. The last three games, this team has been giving up 3.2 yards per carry. It seems like you have climbed from the bottom of the NFL rankings to be in the middle of the pack. What has been the difference?
Coach Bresnahan: Well, I think its attention to detail; I really do. We talked after the Buffalo game where really gave up a handful and then the New England game. Both times that's when I came out here and talked to you guys and it was the mindset of our defense and the commitment of our defense to get back to basics, understand that we can't pop out of our gaps because we do run an eight-man front philosophy versus run and I think they have done a great job of really hearing to it and holding themselves accountable. So, all the credit goes to the players.
Q: What does Mike Waufle mean to you on this staff?
Coach Bresnahan: Mike Waufle to me is if not the best defensive line coach, in the top three in the NFL. I mean this guy – and we have worked together as you know for the six years we were here before and there is a comfort zone for both of us. We both know how each other thinks, so there is a great combination there and it's a perfect fit for us and I love working with him.
Q: You've got Lito Sheppard coming in. Is it easier to throw him in there than obviously, a guy like Carson [Palmer] who has so much to learn. Can he just step in and play?
Coach Bresnahan: Well even with the limited time he was here with us early that got him exposed to our defense. Now, things have changed as far as what we've kind of honed in on as we've grown as a defense. But, he is professional. Boy, he attacks it just like Carson and T.J. on offense. They attack their jobs as their profession and really put their whole mind and soul into it. I'm expecting great things from Lito right away. I'm not going to hesitate at all to put him in the game.
Q: What have you seen from Aaron Curry the first few games?
Coach Bresnahan: What have you guys seen? I mean this is a guy that loves to play football and when people came in here – when I came in here, we talk about having a clean slate. So I don't look at the past; I don't look at anything but what he is doing here and this is a guy, again, these are the types of players you want to bring in. They go into the meeting room, they attack their job in the meeting room, they attack their job on the practice field, they carry it to the game field, and they act like professionals when they're not on the field and out of the building. They act like professionals and he is a prototypical professional for us and he has brought a lot of experience, he has brought a lot of excitement and emotion and passion to the defensive unit and it shows on the field on Sundays, I think.
Q: Do you feel comfortable with Rolando [McClain] playing on Sunday having limited practice time that he can go out there and be fine?
Coach Bresnahan: Yeah, there are certain things we will do with him and again, he has been doing this now for a couple of weeks and we get a feel for him during the week, even with the limited number of reps. How much can we give him? How much – he was the first one to tell us in the last game, 'I've got to stop.' So again, those are things that we kind of judge during the week, but I don't get into the injuries. I kind of let that be a game day situation and we go with the feel, how he is ready to go and our guys are ready to step up. If he can't go, the next guy is ready to go and we don't blink an eye.
