Transcripts of conference calls by San Francisco's Patrick Willis and Jim Harbaugh with Jets reporters on Wednesday afternoon:
49ERS LB PATRICK WILLIS
On the Jets offensive line…
They have some stout guys up front. They run the ball really well, you know, Greene and Powell, two good running backs, so it's going to be a good match out there.
On the Jets weaknesses…
I've seen a lot, I don't want to say weaknesses, I just want to say, you know, for us it's just about getting after the offense and creating our own weaknesses while we're out there playing. They have a pretty solid football team and we just have to be ready to play.
On Tim Tebow and the Wildcat package…
Tebow has had a lot of success running the Wildcat package when he was at the Broncos. And I've seen him have some pretty good runs this far, with them running it as little as they have. It's most definitely going to be something that we have to be able to stop as far as the run game.
On how much time they spend prepping for the Wildcat…
No, we don't say it goes on back burners. For us, we like to prepare for everything. We came prepared for every single play we've seen but that's something most definitely we will prepare for today as we have our first practice of the week.
On if they prepare for Tebow as a runner or passer…
We know he's capable. He's running the ball out of it most of the time, I think he might have thrown the ball once, maybe. But he's a quarterback, so we know that he can throw the ball at any time. We just have to be honed into our season and make sure we play it fundamentally sound.
On if he played Tebow in college…
No, no, I did not.
On losing at Minnesota on Sunday…
You know, it certainly, by far, was not our best performance as a defense nor as a team, I don't feel like. But they say with bad, sometimes it's how you perceive it, it's what you take from it. Obviously, we lost the game and there's nothing good about losing, but I think there's a lot of good we can take and learn from it.
On the attitude of coach Jim Harbaugh after the loss to the Vikings…
Certainly no one's walking around, jumping for joy and happy, like we are when we win. For us, it's one of those things where it doesn't feel good, but we can't just sit and mope around and worry about a game that we can no longer do anything about. Now it's about coming out and preparing well this week and getting ready to face the Jets and try to get a win there, to get that taste out of our mouth.
On if he sprained his ankle Sunday…
Yeah, I did. It's feeling well, right now. It'll be our first day of practice, so I'm going to go out there and kind of see how it feels and what not. And I'm going to do what the trainers ask me to do and I'm going to listen to them.
On if he is optimistic about playing Sunday…
I'm always optimistic about playing. You can tell me I'm down, and you can tell me I have a season-ending injury, but in my mind I think I can play. So like I said, I'm going to listen to the trainers and do what they ask me to do.
On the impact of the Jets defense losing Darrelle Revis...
Certainly he'll be missed. He's one of the best corners in the game today and has proven it since he has been in the league. I know they're going to miss him, but obviously that's not our problem, that's a problem that they have to address and they'll handle. For us, we're not worried about it. We're going about it as if he was still there. Our preparation is still going to be the same for us.
On if the Jets can have as much success as the Vikings did running the ball against them…
I think sometimes, people, somebody can get beat and someone can say, "OK, this is where they're vulnerable at." But for us, we go back and watch that film and like I said, there's so much good we can take from that film. It was just small things here and there that we know in order to be a better defense this week than we were last week that we can't do. They're going to prepare. They're going to put in a game plan so they can be the most successful against us. Like I said, here and then, we just have to make sure that we don't make those same mistakes we made last week and get back on track, which I know we will.
On Shonn Greene…
He's a physical guy. He's a load. I think he's about 220-plus, I believe so, and kind of low to the ground. For a running back, that's good leverage and good size and he turns it really well. He has good vision and it's going to be a good game. It's going to be a good, physical, tough football game, but we embrace it. We don't run from our problems, we try to solve them. That's the next team we play and we want to get back on track, so we're going to go out there, put our best foot forward and see where the chips lay at the end.
On the advantages of being in Ohio…
They always say, "There's no place like home." Obviously, we'd like to be sleeping in our own beds. I have a puppy, so I'd love to be seeing him, but other than that, it's good to try to get away from the distractions back home, and distractions, I don't mean it in a bad way, but we have to focus more on football. Especially coming off the loss we just had, it gives us the chance to do what we need to do, hopefully be more focused and just continue to build team camaraderie between us. My take on it is good. It's going to benefit us in a lot of ways, more than one.
On coming off the loss to the Vikings…
For us, we take this loss, we can't take it lightly. No one ever wants to lose a game. For us, like I said, we are humbled. We were humble before going into that game, it just didn't go the way we liked it. Sometimes, you're going to have games like that. One game doesn't make or break our season. If we were talking about playing the last game and it was about getting into the playoffs and we lost, then maybe it would be a little different. But for us, our goals are ahead of us. So we just have to, like I said, stay together, stay focused and get it done.
On his dog's name and breed…
His name is Zeus and he's a blue-nosed pit bull.
49ERS HEAD COACH JIM HARBAUGH
On if Darrelle Revis being out changes the Jets strategy…
No, a lot of that's unknown because the Jets have the right to do whatever they want. I really couldn't quantify that, to tell you the truth.
On if Revis being out changes their game plan…
I can't quantify that for you.
On the Jets offensive line…
They're good. I have great respect for both lines. The physicality, the play, the talent, the experience, I have much respect for both the lines.
On the reasons the team is in Ohio this week…
There are several. To really go down the list, I don't have that list in front of me right now. The biggest ones are playing back-to-back East Coast games and taking out eight hours of travel time are the biggest reasons. There are others. It gives us today. We're here today and we have the opportunity to use today to get ready for the Jets. Whether that was there or whether that was in San Francisco, the idea would be to make the most out of today as it relates to our preparation for this weekend.
On if he actually made a list of reasons to stay in Ohio…
I did. In fact there are a lot of things. What are the risks? What are the rewards? The rewards to us outweighed the risks.
On what the 49ers need to work on after their loss to the Vikings…
It's our belief that whether getting better or getting worse, you're never staying the same. That's a constant thing for us is to be better today than we were yesterday, to be better tomorrow than we were today. That's a core belief of ours and we really associate that with everything that we do.
On Mark Sanchez…
A respected guy, person and good quarterback in this league, a great competitor, and he sort of poses multiple challenges for our team. We look forward to that challenge.
On the officiating in the Packers-Seahawks game…
You know, that that's something coaches aren't in the position to talk about. It feels really disrespectful being asked that question.
On if he is trying to keep things simple in Ohio…
We're just trying to keep it about football.
On how they will approach preparing for Tim Tebow and the Wildcat…
Approaches, it's our job to be prepared, in any number of ways the Jets offense can attack us.
