Q. Coach, what did you like most about the offense after you watched the game?
SHANE WALDRON: I think as an offense, really through four quarters and into overtime, that messaging of playing consistent football throughout I think really started to come true for us, came to fruition there. We know there were some spots in the second quarter there where we didn't finish like we wanted to, but we also talked about knowing that every drive might not finish perfectly, but how do we get on the sideline, adjust what we need to adjust, talk through any things that came up, and then get out there the next drive with that positive mindset, and I thought the players starting with Geno and going through the whole offensive group there really took that mindset throughout the game and it paid off in that overtime period there.
Q. What's the value of Geno Smith taking check-downs? What's the do for the whole offense?
SHANE WALDRON: I think just keeping us on schedule is huge. He did a great job with it because there was a couple times in that game where maybe we had some shots called down the field and they had a good pressure called or they had something schematically on defense that prevented us from getting down the field, and Geno did a great job, took Charbonnet on a check-down on one of those, but taking the backs or taking the underneath route when it wasn't there kept us out of some of those 3rd and extra longs or 2nd and longs, and the chances that we did get into 2nd and longs, again, the same thing, same process there where if the deep stuff wasn't there, he was able to get the ball out, get some completions and keep those positive plays rolling.
Q. Is that maybe one of the most common traits of a veteran quarterback?
SHANE WALDRON: I don't know about all of the quarterbacks there, but for Geno, I think it's a good trait that he has. He has that good understanding of, hey, here's the call that came in the headset. I know the intent of the play, but I also know if it doesn't get the perfect look or there's something that goes a little bit off schedule right away not to wait on it, not to wait on something downfield when you know you can get the ball out and then play the next-play mentality.
Q. Locker's longest run of the game was the first run of the game. What did that do to settle the tackles in?
SHANE WALDRON: I think it was great. I think the tackles, first of all, did a great job of coming out there ready to play with both Jake and Stone with a mindset that they're ready to be the starters throughout the week of practice, and I think the guys around them embraced that opportunity for them and really came together as a group, and there were some guys that in the running game or whether it was the tight ends' involvement in some of the protection things, but really got those guys a chance to get in there in that first drive and play football the rest of the way out.
Q. What is your assessment of your running game overall?
SHANE WALDRON: I think right now we're still waiting on that explosive run to help with the yards-per-carry thing, but in terms of week one to week two, we still have had those positive runs, we've had the efficient runs. Just not the big run, so to speak. We'll keep working on that, keep working on the timing and the rhythm between the running backs and the offensive linemen, tight ends, receivers in the blocking game so that we can get some of those runs to be more than three, fours and fives as we go, and then like anything else, I thought the one positive thing, we talked about the red zone efficiency is we were able to run the ball -- you're not going to gain a bunch of yards from the 2-yard line, obviously, so had two really good runs, one with the offensive line on Ken's first touchdown and then the second one on Ken's individual effort there when it was bottled up a little bit, but having that big field vision to bounce it to the outside.
Overall we're going to keep working on it, keep getting in a rhythm there and try to create some of those explosive runs along the way, as well.
Q. So it's a matter of synchronicity, timing, in terms of those explosive runs?
SHANE WALDRON: Yeah, I think anytime you see those you get that breakthrough in the first level to the second level with the O-line and running back being on the same page in terms of the timing, and a lot of that's to do with the defensive front. They don't want us to have that perfect timing. They're moving, they're stunting, they're blitzing, they're creating some of that stuff with the front four and then the front seven right there. Then when you get into that second level, if we get that good crease, the receivers are doing a great job with their effort down the field, we just haven't quite gotten into those second level and third levels of the defense yet outside of the 10- to 12-yard gains, like last year few of those really big long runs break where we were able to get to that second level and then those receivers' blocks are going to come to life right there with their effort, and they're willing to participate like they've been doing.
Q. We saw a lot of production out of the tight ends on Sunday. When you have multiple tight ends on the field, what can that do for an offense?
SHANE WALDRON: Yeah, I think for us with the tight end group led by Coach McPherson there, having three guys that can really do a little bit of everything with Noah, Will and Colby, just allows you to be in and out of different personnel groups, not just the 13 personnel groups, so mixing and matching those guys in 11 and 12 and again, just trying to figure out different ways that we can try to get match-up advantages against the defense, so I think anytime you have more than one personnel group that you can do that out of, it just provides that variety to our offense as you're going through the course of the game.
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