Q:I know you like to stay flexible at the line of scrimmage in terms of passing or running, but would there be any advantage to just lining up and doing what you want to do right out of the huddle?
JM:I think it depends on what it is you've chosen to do. There are definitely, I would say the majority of what we do and the majority of what we did last night was that. I think we had a few plays that we either changed or checked to something else, but I'd say by and large the majority of what we do is call the play, run it and execute it the best that we can. There are obviously some times where if you have a play called and you're going to run it into a situation where it's certainly going to be a bad play, then if you can get it to a better play, certainly it'd be advantageous. Like I said, I don't think we did that a whole lot last night. There were a few situations when we did, but most of the time I think we just ran what we called.
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Q: **What kind of positives can you draw out of Brandon LaFell's performance last night?
JM:I thought Brandon played really hard. Obviously, he made a few really big plays for us in the game, demonstrated the ability to make something happen with the ball in his hands. He was tough, played hard on every snap and really did everything he could do in his position, in his role, with his opportunities to try to help us move the ball and score points. I think that was definitely a positive – his performance overall.
Q:Through the first four games you guys have rotated through almost every offensive lineman and almost every wide receiver. Are you confident that you have the players here that can turn this offense around and make it a dominant team again?
JM:I have a lot of confidence in our guys. We didn't play well last night. We didn't coach well offensively. We obviously have to do a lot better, starting with me. There is no shortcut to that, but we've got a lot of players that have played a lot of good football here before. We know it's a long season. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We know that it's going to be critical for us to get better and improve each week.
Q:You guys have struggled with teams that are able to rush the passer and pressure Tom Brady. What are some things you can do to try to combat teams with a great pass rush?
JM:I think we have to improve in that area; there is no doubt about it. We've allowed too much pressure or created the situations where the defense has gotten pressure on him. I think we need to do a better job of starting fast and trying to play from ahead. We definitely haven't done that this year offensively. And just have more control of the game. When you fall behind and you're on the road, it's never going to be easy against any opponent. All of them are good in this league. We've put ourselves in those situations, and we're going to be the ones who have to work ourselves out of it and find a way to start faster and protect the quarterback better. If there are certain things we can do more of, we'll try to do those going forward. But there is no shortcut in this league. There is going to be a good pass rush every week. This week is going to be no different with Cincinnati. We're going to have to do a great job of having a good plan and a good week of preparation coming off of last night and getting better every day that we have an opportunity to.
Q:I'm sure it's frustrating that you guys have started so slowly, but you've started slowly in past seasons. Is there an understanding or acceptance that this will take some time with all the pieces coming together?
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JM: **We have a high standard here, and we should. It's a very competitive league, obviously, and we need to do a better job on offense regardless of the situation or circumstances. [Whoever] is out there we have faith and confidence in. Like I said, we can coach better and certainly need to. And we can play better. I think every year is a process that you go through, and I don't think you're really ever where you're going to be when you start the year, but I think the key thing for us is we've got to improve each week. We can't just one week here, one week there, go back and forth. We've got to continue to get better. I think it is a situation where you can work with your guys and improve them each week, but I think the big thing is we have to achieve that and get better each week. You can have patience, but I think you also need to make strides each week, too. Our focus is going to be on that going forward, and we've got a really difficult challenge ahead of us this Sunday with Cincinnati.
Q:Kanas City did a good job slowing down Julian Edelman yesterday. What was the problem with getting him the ball?
JM:I think there are obviously a number of factors that determine where the ball goes and who gets it and how much and all the rest of it. Julian had a few opportunities and made some of those, and then we had some other opportunities that we missed on or didn't have an opportunity to get it to him. I think the passing game is a function of a lot of things. A lot of people have to do their job well. Obviously when we've done that he's made a lot of plays for us, and hopefully we can do better going forward.
Q:Tom Brady said in his postgame press conference that the second interception he threw was an instance of him trying to force the ball somewhere he shouldn't. How rare is that for Tom to do?
JM:He hasn't historically thrown many interceptions and he doesn't, so any time that happens, it's not a situation that occurs many times during the course of the year, and we'll do everything we can do to prepare and get a good plan and good scheme ready to go this week, and I'm sure he's going to do the same. We're always going to try to avoid turning the ball over because that's the quickest way to put ourselves in a hole, and we certainly did last night.
