Q: How did you find Phillip Adams and what do you think of the way he performed on Sunday?
NC: Phillip last year was with San Francisco [and] played quite a bit and actually ended up getting injured - he ended up hurting his leg at some point. He was a guy that we had studied during the preseason. He played fairly competitively in the game on Sunday. I think there's room for improvement with him and with everybody else. He went in there and he did what was asked of him and he was competitive on some plays. Hopefully, he'll improve and that will continue moving forward.
Q: Part of your job is evaluations without worrying about a guy's name. When you look in the secondary, do you see enough talent when you take away who some of the guys are and where they came from. Do you see as much talent as you have had in the past?
NC: I think anybody that's on this football team we have a lot of confidence in and that's why they're here. When they've played guys have had opportunities. We've had a number of guys that have made plays and I think they wouldn't be here if we didn't feel good about them. At different points, different people have been out there - some of that's been circumstance, some guys have been healthy for each game, some haven't been available. Players are on this team we feel confident in and everybody's job is to prepare every week as if they're going to play because really you never know when that opportunity is going to come up. I would say that's the case.
Q: As far as the Jets game, you guys faced them last time when they were obviously struggling a little bit. They have since turned it around pretty nicely. What's been the difference when you look at how they've done things?
NC: Probably they've just been consistent with what they're doing. They've run the ball well here over the past three weeks. [Shonn] Greene has done a nice job running the football. [Jeremy] Kerley has kind of found a niche there in the slot, kind of taking over that third receiver role with the departure of [Derrick] Mason. They are getting contributions from a lot of different people - from [Plaxico] Burress, from Santonio [Holmes], from [Dustin] Keller, from Kerley, Shonn Greene, [and] LT [LaDainian Tomlinson]. So they've played well offensively and have moved the ball. Then defensively, they've played at a high level like they have really since Rex [Ryan] has been there. They've made some plays in the kicking game. [Joe] McKnight leads the league. I think he averages over 40 yards a kickoff return which is pretty astounding just in terms of a numerical basis. I think they've been able to play over the last few games - they've been able to play consistently. They've played to their strengths and you know have won some football games. We're expecting that we're going to get their best shot on Sunday. They're a good team and we'll be on the road. It will be a fun environment - Sunday night and playing for first place in the division. It will certainly be an exciting atmosphere to be a part of.
Q: You made personnel moves in the offseason. You brought players in via free agency, waivers, draft, so-on-and-so-forth. You're half way through the year, how would you assess where you're at? Are you happy? How would you describe where you're at right now?
NC: Like you've mentioned, it's really an ongoing process and we've had a number of transactions during the course of the season. Some weeks have been a little heavier than others, but I think that's just a part of the natural process. In the end, our goal is we're trying to put the best 61, if you will - get them in the building, work with them and get them prepared to play. We are halfway through the year, there's a long way to go. There have been some good things I think from a lot of people. There're certainly some areas that we certainly can improve both collectively and individually as players. I would say that's probably true of a lot of teams in the league, so we're halfway through the season and here's where we are right now - eight more games to go. We'll take it really one week at a time, one day at a time, and I'm sure there will be some movement going forward which I'm sure that will surprise nobody. That's just kind of a natural process and that's the way it works and you have to be prepared for a number of things. Things happen - you lose players, injuries, there are a number of things that come into play. You do the best you can and try to put the best team out there that you feel is going to be competitive each Sunday and that's really the goal.
Q: Are you surprised or intrigued that Aaron Maybin, who was pretty much left for dead a month and a half ago, seems to have turned it around?
NC: Aaron, you know was a good player coming out of Penn State - productive player. I can't really speak on what happened in Buffalo, that's all we can kind of go off is what he's done with the Jets and he's made the most of his opportunities. He's playing a lot of their sub packages and he's certainly provided a spark for them. It kind of coincided - you know they lost [Bryan] Thomas there a little bit earlier in the season. [Jamaal] Westerman has stepped in; he's done a nice job. They have a lot of guys on the edge that they use - whether it's Westerman, whether it's [Calvin] Pace, whether it's Maybin - have all been productive for them. He's done a nice job, I mean it's a credit to him and it's a credit to the Jets coaching staff to put him in a position to be successful, so a tip of the cap to them.
