Transcript of quarterback Geno Smith's news conference at his locker following our Wednesday afternoon practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
On if he wore play-call wristbands in college and if he will wear them now…
We haven't discussed any of that. If it helps the team, if it helps me get better, then I'm all for it, but we haven't discussed it yet.
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On if he is comfortable not wearing a wristband and if he wears one now…**
No, I don't, no. Our offense, we don't really do that in this offense. But like I said, if it's something that we talk about it and it's something that we think is good moving forward, then I'm all for it. But as of now, we haven't.
On playing on Monday Night Football…
It's a great opportunity, great chance to go out there once again, try and get a victory with my teammates. We're at .500 right now so we're looking to move forward and eventually put ourselves in a better spot, so we've got to win these upcoming games. It's a crucial point for us right now in the season, so Monday Night Football is going to be primetime. It's going to be big and a tough matchup on the road but we've got to prepare for it and we've got to go in there and have our backs against the wall and come out swinging.
On the Falcons and the Georgia Dome…
Yeah, another test, another chance to go out there and just take care of that football, take care of my football team. I'm really emphasizing taking care of the ball, not putting it on the ground, not having any interceptions, and then just executing the game plan and just moving forward.
On if he feels like he is in college by having to put up points to stick with the Falcons offense…
No. Like I said, I go out there and my job is to manage the game and situations and a part of that is not forcing the ball, not putting us in harm's way, not putting us in jeopardy. I'm just going out there and focusing on what I have to do. I know that our defense is going to prepare and go out there and fight hard. We're going to go out there on offense and try to score points.
On not sacrificing aggressiveness while protecting the football…
It comes with just preparation, knowing what you're seeing, knowing when you have an opportunity to take a chance down the field depending on the situation in the game, whether you're up or down, and then making a good throw. If you think you have it, if you think you have the play there, make the throw. Don't look back on it, don't second-guess it, because that's when you get in trouble, when you try to second-guess it and don't put your all into it and you might not make a good throw.
On if he did anything in practice to emphasize protecting the ball…
Today I think we just emphasized the turnovers more, running with the ball high and tight. I had a guy tugging at it and just keeping two hands on the ball aggressively in the pocket, stepping up in the pocket and getting the ball out faster. That's always been the emphasis for us, but today we put a little extra emphasis on it.
On who was tugging at the ball in drills…
Everybody. Pretty much everyone.
On how Santonio Holmes and Stephen Hill not playing could affect the game…
Well, we've got to use the guys that we have. We still have guys who can step up and make plays. We've got Clyde [Gates], we've got Jeremy [Kerley], we've got two great tight ends who can become mismatches. We've got to use the guys that we have. Hopefully they'll be ready, but if not, whoever is in there is going to be expected to carry their load. That's the way this offense works and we've got to move forward.
On if he expects the running game to be used more…
I think we do what's necessary, so we take what the defense gives us. I think the running game has helped us out tremendously. Bilal [Powell] has been running great. We're getting [Mike] Goodson back. Chris [Ivory] is coming back off an injury. If we get a chance to get those guys in together, we'll definitely put the ball in their hands because they deserve it. They've been carrying the ball well. I think it really helps our offense out as far as the balance goes.
On if he sees any opportunity for designed runs for him…
If it's necessary. But we're still in the early stages of game-planning. If it's necessary we'll put it in.
On what he has seen from Goodson in practice…
He's practicing well. He's got good quickness and burst. I think he can be another guy we can put in the backfield as well as maybe get him some touches in the passing game. But he's looked pretty good to me.
On what he has seen from Atlanta's defense…
They have some guys who are injured. I think Asante [Samuel] may be back this week, maybe not. They have rookie corners, experienced safeties. Their linebackers have been injured. Up front they have some of their guys injured. For the most part, I see those guys being aggressive. They play hard. They mix up their coverages and fronts. It's going to be another tough week for us.
On why they ran some no-huddle against Tennessee…
I think it's just the way Marty [Mornhinweg] wanted it. It's what he called. I think he was feeling that the no-huddle was necessary so we went ahead and went with it.
On how he feels after frustrating games…
I'm frustrated after a loss, disappointed in the way I took care of the ball. At this point in my career, I've got to look at every single thing, good or bad, as a learning experience and just move on from it. Of course in that moment I'm going to be frustrated and I'm not going to like the way that I played, but all in all, it's a way for me to grow and it's a way for me to get better.
On working with a player like Holmes…
Yeah, Tone is a smart receiver. He's very crafty. He knows how to get in and out of cuts. He can make a play on any ball. If you put it around him, he's going to typically come down with the catch. It's good to have a guy like Tone. He works extremely hard. It's tough to see him hurt right now because I know how much it means to him and how much he wants to be out there. Even then, he's still supportive of us and he's still out there giving it all he has.
On if he can get a feel for David Nelson in one week…
Yeah. It typically takes a bit of time, but the good thing about us is we're still a young offense so the addition of Nelson is going to help us out tremendously well. I think David is going to be a big-time target for us. He's got a great body frame, he's got speed, he's got great hands. We'll look to put him in and see what he can do.
On his thoughts on Denver QB Peyton Manning's start to the season…
It's amazing. It's Peyton. He's a very smart quarterback. It's the way he plays the game. He's taking care of the ball, which is a big part of the reason why they're 4-0 right now. He's been playing phenomenal, lights-out. He's got complete command over that offense.
On if he knew Manning threw 11 interceptions in his first four games as a rookie…
I didn't.
On if that shows he can improve…
It's a part of the growing pains as a quarterback and as a rookie, especially at any position, let alone quarterback, the toughest position in the league. I'm not trying to compare scenarios or his career to mine. I'm just out there trying to focus on myself and eliminate those turnovers. I don't want to have eight at this point, but it's already said and done, so I've got to move on from it and just get better.
On what he did in practice to emphasize turnovers…
Today, they had me in the running back turnover circuit with the ball high and tight, focusing on three points of pressure and taking care of the ball, had guys ripping at it. I did a bunch of that. D-Lee [QBs coach David Lee] did a good job at getting us tired first so we did a little bit of footwork drills, got a little tired, and then we had guys tugging at the ball to see how you would hold it. That's pretty much how it is in the game. You're a bit tired and you've been running around and guys are stripping at it but you've got to hold on to it.
On if he had done turnover drills in the regular season…
We do it off and on. At this point in time, anything that we can do to negate the turnovers and negate the penalties, we're taking action in that direction. It's something that we're probably going to do more and more just to assure that we don't have those turnovers again.
On if he has talked to Coach Ryan about the color-coded system…
I haven't spoken to him about that, but if it helps the team, if it's something that the coaches decide is going to make us better as an offense and make me better as a quarterback, then I'm all for it.
On if he used a color-coded system in college…
No, I haven't.
On if he knows what the color-coded system is…
I'm not too sure, but I have an idea, so I pretty much know what it is.
