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<span style="">Opening Statement:</span>
"Going through the injury report real quick – Jammal Brown (left hip) did not practice and he'll be out; Darnell Dinkins (left foot) did not practice and he'll be out; Mike Bell (right knee) did not practice; Lance Moore (right hamstring) did not practice; Bobby McCray (right hamstring) did not practice; Kendrick Clancy (right knee) did not practice; Jo-Lonn Dunbar (left hamstring) was limited; Charles Grant (left hamstring) was limited; Drew Brees (left shoulder) was full; Jermon Bushrod (right knee) was full; Jeremy Shockey (left ankle) was full; Pierre Thomas (right knee) was full and Roman Harper (left hamstring) was full."
Which one of those injuries do you consider to be the most serious?
"Day by day we just evaluate it. Obviously Jammal and Darnell are two guys that aren't listed as going to play, and we'll see where it's at tomorrow."
How is Pierre Thomas looking? Could he get a lot of carries this week?
"We'll see. He was full in practice and got work with the offense and the scout team, so we'll just see the progress he's making."
Are you getting the kind of balance on offense you were looking for so far?
"We've had two games and each week presents a different challenge. We've had two games where we've had good passing and rushing numbers. We know that can change week by week, but we have been able to finish games and that has been good. That helps you obviously in the fourth quarter when you're trying to close a team out."
With everyone in the offense playing as well as they have been so far, how much easier does it make the decisions for you as a play-caller?
"When you're playing well and you're executing, obviously the job is easier and when you're not executing, you typically end up looking down at a lot of third-and-longs and it becomes more challenging. I think the key are the first and second down plays that keep us ahead of the chains as opposed to being in long-yardage situations."
Is your offense playing better this year than in years past?
"We've just played two games so I think it's going to be easier to measure as the season progresses. Certainly guys are playing with confidence and yet we're just two weeks into it. We still have a lot of things that we have to clean up and get better at. You can see that when you watch the tape and you watch things unfold. The key is making the corrections from last week and the week prior and trying to improve and not standing pat. There are a lot areas that we're continuing to work on."
What is your assessment of Buffalo's offense?
"They give you a no-huddle, which is something that we have to work on. They up-tempo the game; they don't change a lot of personnel groupings but they go a lot at the line of scrimmage, which is different for us than the first two weeks. They're explosive; obviously they have receiver speed with both (Terrell) Owens and Lee Evans and guys that are confident in making plays with Trent Edwards. The running back has played well for them – Fred Jackson – and they have done a good job of operating in that no-huddle and being pretty efficient. It presents a new challenge from that standpoint."
What specific challenges does the no-huddle present? Is it being organized?
"It's a spontaneous pace rather than us always having time to get our call in. We're going to have to be able to sort through some things. It puts more pressure on the linebackers, Jonathan Vilma particularly, to get the defense called. Just handling that is different than your normal pace of a game. That's something that we have to work on and pay attention to."
Have you used the no-huddle a little more this year on offense?
"Really it has just been at the end of the half. We've had a couple of quick plays, but really we've been more conventional."
You've scored on your first possession of all four halves so far this season. What does that do to a defense and how does it help you?
"I think the first drive of a half is something that a) can set you up field position-wise if you don't score, but certainly as you begin a game you want to have success and there's confidence that goes with that. In the first two weeks, we've been able to start quick and that's certainly a plus, not a minus."
Can that affect the psyche of the opposing defense?
"I don't know if it necessarily affects the psyche, but when you score first, it certainly doesn't hurt."
What has Fred Jackson done in place of Marshawn Lynch for the Bills?
"He has done a good job; he has a good yards per carry average right now. He's playing with confidence. He's a guy that after two weeks has established himself as a good football player. He's doing a good job protecting the ball and getting yards after contact, and he's also a good receiver. He has a handful of things that he does well and that has served him well so far."
What's your comfort level with the receivers that might have to step in if Lance Moore can't play?
"We feel like whoever has to play will be ready to step in. We've done that before and guys have been around here long enough to understand the offense. We'll try to get in the best personnel groupings as possible and go from there and day by day really see where Lance is at."
Stats showed that Drew Brees was more successful when the Eagles blitzed two or more players last week. Is that something that he has been good at throughout his history?
"He's someone that is able to process and deliver quickly so he's able to recognize pressure and understand where it's coming from and the coverage that is coming with it. It helps mentally when you have someone that's sharp like that to not take sacks. We took a couple last week, but by and large, it's something that he does a good job with and our line does a good job with it as well."
How has Scott Shanle's approach helped him this year?
"He was our MVP last year on defense. I think sometimes it's misunderstood when we work out a linebacker that it's to replace Scott Shanle; that really couldn't be further from the truth. He's playing well; he's smart; he can run well. He got his hands on a ball last week which was a big play for us. He's someone who is getting a lot of snaps, not only in the base but in the nickel as well."