Q: Do you have to adjust your game plan considering that you only have one receiver who is really fully versed in the offense?
A: You're going to have to be intelligent about what you ask guys to do who haven't been around, so between the verbiage - it's learning a new language - so they'll know what an incut is, they'll know what a post is, but they may not know how we call it here, so that's a challenge and that'll fall really on the quarterback within the timeframe of the huddle - that's a challenge. But we'll try to ask them things that they're both a) physically able to do and then b) intellectually can pick up, but I think we'll have enough variety and enough diversity that we'll have a chance to move the ball the way we're going to have to.
Q: How challenging is execution when so much of your offense's success is predicated on timing?
A: It's obviously very difficult. You've got a lot of new bodies and you've got some of the bodies that you've had before who haven't been asked to perform the roles they're going to be asked to perform, but the bottom line is that you try to do the best you can with what you've got and we think we have enough.
Q: How much do you feel like you're back in training camp all over again with all the new faces?
A: Yeah, there's no question - it's not the way you'd draw it up or plan it. Unfortunately we were playing at about as high a level as you could play and then all of the sudden you lose as many guys as we've lost, but it's the hand that we've been dealt. The key is now, regardless of how you have to do it, some how, some way you've got to manufacture enough yardage, enough offense, enough points that you give yourself and your team a chance to win.
Q: Michael Clayton has been known as a very good blocking receiver. Is it as hard to incorporate a guy into your running game as the passing game?
A: It depends. Again, things that he's familiar with, we certainly will try to capitalize on. Again, it's the nomenclature and the timing that is a little bit different, but if a guy is big and strong and of the predisposition that he is not afraid to go in and block the safety, I think that regardless of the run, it's a hard ball run, he can do that, so hopefully he'll do that effectively for us, at least that's our intention.
Q: What are Clayton's greatest strengths?
A: Just the blocking, a big strong receiver that is difficult for a smaller corner to match up with. I think he can do some of those things where you ask him to maybe take advantage of his size and once he gets running down the field it looks like he moves pretty well. Again, we're not going to ask him to do some of the nuanced things where there are a lot of options and the parameters of what he can do in a particular route or particular pattern are multiple, we're not going to ask him to do that, but if all he's got to do is come out and run a post or a go or an incut or a hitch, those things he's been doing since he's been in high school, so those are the things that we think we can ask him.
Q: How big is the package of plays that you give him?
A: The package...he'll be part of the entire offense, but we'll only ask him to do certain portions of those plays.
Q: How limiting is it to have the left side of your offensive line in constant flux with injuries?
A: Again, it's not the way you'd - certainly if you had your druthers, it would not be number one on the hit parade. It's not the way you'd go about your business, but when we put Shawn Andrews in there, he performed tremendously well for us. He was a significant part of why we didn't have a sack the last three weeks. Now we're going to ask William Beatty to go up and do the same thing - it's your chance, it's your opportunity, you've been clamoring for it and you wanted an opportunity, we've wanted to give it and now it's here. We didn't want it to happen under these circumstances, but it's happened, it's a chance to step up and contribute and play the way that we believe he has the potential to do. It's a challenge and there's no question - it's not the way you'd like it, but it's the way it is and we think that we have enough ability and he has enough ability for a singular example that he can go out and compete and do well and give the rest of the guys a chance to win the game.
Q: What are you looking for from Jacobs as a starter?
A: Consistency. Consistency with the running game. That's the reason that we made the change initially is we weren't running the ball as well as we thought we should last year, so we gave Ahmad a chance, he did some great things for us and now we're asking Brandon Jacobs to do the same.
Q: Does your play calling change much from one running back to another?
A: No. Not really. There are certain things that they do better than others, but if all you did was an inside run with Brandon and an outside run with Ahmad, it wouldn't take them very long to figure it out defensively, so there are maybe certain things that you accentuate or emphasize, but I think you've got to be able to do both.
Q: The fumbles are his main concern, but his production hasn't been as high the last three weeks. Why?
A: I think it's all of it. The protection has been outstanding, but I think that... I don't know if it's more difficult, but it certainly is very difficult to get the coordination and the cohesion in the running game when you have guys that haven't been playing together - not only are they new guys, but they haven't been next to each other, so I think it's a combination of a lot of different things.
Q: Brandon Jacobs views this as a temporary change. What have you said to him about the possibility of this being permanent?
A: We haven't said anything. We're just playing it week by week. Ahmad will still carry the ball and he's still going to get chances, it's just that here's an opportunity for him if he wants to be the starter, he's got to go out and produce and that's what we expect him to do.
Q: How do you change your approach in the end zone without Hakeem Nicks?
A: I don't know that you change the approach. We've never just said hey, it's Hakeem. A lot of his touchdowns have been from farther out, far removed, it really has been controlled and always will be controlled by who you have and what they do defensively and schematically, so we'll put people over there that can make the plays that need to be made by that position that he was occupying and hopefully when that opportunity arises for those guys, they'll step up and do the same thing that Hakeem did.
Q: Injuries on the left side of the line, quite a bit of run right against Philly...
A: Well, it's as much - it's not only the injuries on the left side, it's also the quality of the defensive players in Philly on the right side, so it was both. You had some new people on the left side and it was also that you have Trent Cole over there on the right side, which makes it challenging even if you had your guys you've had there for six years, so it's a combination of all of those things.