Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio
Media Availability
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Can you talk about Blaine Gabbert?
"It's just time to play the young, talented guy. I thought he did a nice job in some tough circumstances, gave us a chance at the end and just didn't come up with a couple of plays there."
It must have been tough to make his debut in a rain storm?
"It was some tough conditions. It kind of deteriorated a little bit. It was sloppy and wet, but I thought he conducted himself well his first time out.
You've worked with Gregg Williams before and he's shown success against rookie quarterbacks. Is there anything from working with Gregg that will help you gameplan for this week?
"I think Gregg does a great job of mixing things up and putting pressure on quarterbacks and typically younger quarterbacks aren't as prepared as veteran quarterbacks at handling that, so we're going to do all we can to get our team prepared and let Blaine understand it's not just him, it's the Jaguars versus the Saints. But Gregg presents some problems with what they do defensively."
When you see how well you're doing defensively, how frustrating is it to be 1-2?
"The biggest thing is you take it game by game. We won our home-opener, we went out and took one on the chin in New York and we came back last week and played well and had some opportunities to take control of the game but we just didn't get it done. That's kind of behind us. We're just getting ready for our next opportunity here against the Saints."
Can you talk about your struggles on offense and is it frustrating for you?
"No, not really at all. I think for us, we feel good about the work we're putting in. The Jets were pretty good. They've shut down some teams on defense before. They had a pretty good day. Last week, the weather contributed to slowing us down along with us making a few mistakes. We're just continuing to work on being a better football team and taking it day by day. We know we have a good team and we just have to put some plays together and get some consistency and that's what we're working hard to do."
Are you surprised at how big of a load Maurice Jones-Drew is taking on so quickly?
"No, not really. He's a very proud guy, a very competitive guy, and a very talented player. He worked extremely hard this offseason preparing for this year and we've got him off to a real nice start these first three weeks. That's big for us."
Was that the plan to lean on him this much?
"You go to your best players and he's certainly one of our best players."
The last time the Saints played in Jacksonville was the crazy lateral play at the end of the game. Can you talk about that?
"It was a pretty crazy play at the end that they pulled off and executed well. We felt like we were in control there. They made a heck of a play and then missed the extra point. I don't care how we get it, but somehow and someway we need to get ourselves a win this week."
Have you ever seen anything crazier than that?
"We've had some dramatic finishes. We had a couple last year at home with the Hail Mary finish against the Texans and the 59-yard field goal by Josh (Scobee) against the Colts so we've had some dramatic finishes here at home and I'd love to see another one."
What do you think about your pass defense going up against Drew Brees?
"I don't know that we've seen the level of execution and precision that we're going to face this weekend yet. Drew is doing a heck of a job and Sean (Payton) is drawing it up. They're doing a nice job of executing it and blocking it. I think it starts up front with that big strong line. They have a good football team and we know that we'll be challenged in all phases this week."
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert
Media Availability
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Saints have had a lot of success against rookie quarterbacks the past two seasons under Gregg Williams. What have you noticed that makes them so successful?
"The biggest thing with Gregg Williams is that he's a great defensive coordinator and he's well-known throughout the NFL for doing exotic blitzes and giving offenses a lot of different looks. What we're doing is just preparing for everything and really just game-planning that defense. We have to prepare for whatever they throw at us."
Do you feel like with the Saints being as high scoring of an offense as they are that you're going to have to match them blow for blow?
"All we can control is play-by-play. We know they're going to put up points and we know it's our job to score points. Our defense is going to do a tremendous job and it's going to be a great game."
Once teams start to get into the red zone against the Saints, it seems like their defense has been shutting them down from getting into the end zone. What is it about this secondary that allows them to hold teams to field goals?
"They're good at playing man coverage. We know that. The Saints play a lot of man on defense and they have a lot of guys that can run. Our receivers and I have to work hard against that, but we just have to worry about what we can control and that's finding completions, moving the ball, and executing on offense."
Can you talk about playing your first game in the NFL? Was it what you expected and what surprised you?
"The biggest thing is you always want to come out with a win. There are no moral victories in the NFL. At the end of the day, wins and losses are the tell-tale sign of how you do throughout the season. You always want to come out with a win. I learned a lot. Of course, you can't control the weather. We have to be able to execute our offense under any condition."
How much help can Maurice Jones-Drew be for you this season?
"He's a tremendous talent. Having him in the backfield with me, everyone knows what he can do with the ball in his hands. He's a special player and people can see that by voting him to the Pro Bowl."
