James Bettcher: Little things can lead to big improvements

The Atlanta Falcons have Julio Jones and a cadre of other quality wide receivers. They have Matt Ryan at quarterback. They have an offense that is scoring 27.8 points per game. The New York Giants have given up 100 points (33.3 per game) in their last three games, are last in the league in sacks with seven and are 24th overall in points allowed at 27.0 per game.

Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher stood in front of the media on Friday and said that having success Monday has “nothing to do with Atlanta.”

“We talked to them today about some things that each position group, what do we need to do better? Nothing to do with Atlanta. What do we need to do better at each position group?,” Bettcher said. “It’s like when sometimes you go to the doctor, you go see him, what do they give you? They give you a prescription for what you need. We look at it that way, it’s a prescription. Here are the things we need to do better at each position group, and some places, it’s individually, then what we focus on in our individual is we focus on those things. To play better defense, that’s what it comes down to. To execute better, that’s what it comes down to. To call games better, that’s what it comes down to, is focusing on the small details, the fundamentals, the techniques it takes to play good defense.”

Here are some other takeaways from Bettcher’s time with the media on Friday.

On the play of Landon Collins

“I think one thing Landon is doing really well is he’s playing with a ton of energy. You see him running around the field, you see him in position to make some plays, and he’s just got to keep playing hard and those game-changing plays are going to come, and they’re going to come in a bunch for him. We’re keeping him, and he loves being, close to the ball. Wherever the ball is, he wants to be close to it because he’s a playmaker who when he’s playing with great eyes and when he’s playing as hard as he has been, he is disruptive. I know this, I know that when he’s on the field, (other teams) recognize where he’s at, I know they recognize where he’s lined. He’s just got to keep playing hard and those plays are going to come.”

Has he been as creative as he would like to be?

“Any time you come into year one, and I think it was the same way when I was in Arizona, we build up in terms of whether it’s the volume or the type of things we do, we build up. That’s part of a building process, that’s part of building a defense that’s not going to be a flash in the pan, that you’re going to build something that’s going to stand the test of time. I think that’s part of it. The second thing is in regards to that, each and every week as a group of coaches and with our players involved, we’re going to put together a plan that we think is going to help us win the game. Do we ever short change ourselves? No, but I think there is a growth process when you come in year one and you’re starting, working through things. We want to build this thing on concrete ground. We want to build on playing with good fundamentals and playing hard. Those things are much more important than scheme.”

On Janoris Jenkins’ rough game vs. the Eagles

“I don’t think there’s any one guy that I’ll ever stand in front of you and point that, ‘hey, this guy is not playing good football.’ The game is a team game on defense, and I think there is probably plays you might look at and you might say, ‘Oh, that’s Janoris’, and I might look at and say that’s someone else. I might look at it and say that’s the rush, I might look at the quarterback’s holding the ball too long, I might look at it in different ways.”