TERYL AUSTIN: Where would you like to start?
Q. When you look at a guy like Cam, how many games he's played over his career, he's maintained at a high level, bounced back from injury, how has it been able to do that? How difficult is it?
TERYL AUSTIN: A lot has to do with mom and dad and genetics, but also how I think he always keeps himself in pretty good shape. He's not one of the guys that comes back here and tries to work himself into shape during the course of the off-season or whatever. He is always working, always in shape. I think that helps with the recovery, if he does get injured. His normal everyday health and wellness.
Q. A couple weeks ago we were talking about Beanie being targeted. You were saying sometimes that just happens. Two weeks later we're talking about interceptions. What did you like about his response to some of those uneven performances?
TERYL AUSTIN: What I like from it obviously is that he bounced back. We knew that was going to happen. I think when I stood up here and talked to you, I said that happens to young guys. Really it's not that it's not going to happen, but how does he bounce back from it.
He has a great mindset. He has what a lot of good players have, and that's a short memory. He was able to bounce back from that. That's what you get a chance to see.
The next opportunity came. When we were going after him a little bit, he was able to rise up and make the plays that he's capable of making. That's good. I think that's good in terms of his long-term growth. It's good for us.
Now what you find out is you have an ascending player, a guy that's going to have the ability and opportunity to get better each and every week.
Q. You're giving up five points per game in the second half of games this year. Is that all halftime adjustments?
TERYL AUSTIN: Well, I think it's a few things. I think obviously as you settle into a game, you come out of the first half, you kind of have an idea of how teams are attacking you, what they're doing. I think that's one time you can kind of get everybody in a not-so-charged environment, relay, Here is what is going on, here is what we think is happening, here is what we want to do. That gives us an opportunity to go out and fix the things that weren't going so well in the first half.
Q. There's so many guys that are film enthusiasts, all kind of come together during the week, communicate faster. Is that something that is unique to this team? You have vets that aren't the superstars, but they contribute to that kind of culture?
TERYL AUSTIN: I think it is. I've said this before, with the vets we brought in, we really like 'em. They fit in. Because they fit into kind of the culture we like, the things that we like to do. I think you just have more people that do that, it does make it easier to make adjustments, makes it easier to get things done.
When you're talking to somebody, it's not a foreign subject. Sometimes you may get in there, you have people that the film study is good, but maybe not at a certain level.
I think these guys do a really good job communicating, making changes, getting things done. It's really been a pretty good experience with this group.
Q. A lot of guys have been walking around saying they're upset, there's more there. Is that something you've been preaching or something that comes from within?
TERYL AUSTIN: I think it comes from within. We've also been talking about it. We looked at some of the things we put on tape. There's a lot of really good things. I want to make sure I say that. There's some things on there, as Mike likes to call them, JV, we know we can be better at. I think that's really what the guys are talking about. The things we should be good at, we have to be better at.
I can give you some examples from the game. Just the screen or the check-down that goes for big plays. That shouldn't happen, not with the amount of talent and speed we have on defense. Those are just some simple things play-wise that we look at and try to figure out why did it get out, how can we be better at that. That takes a lot of stuff off your plate.
Those guys know that, that we've played some good football. For us to play really championship-type football, we got to tighten up and do some things better.
Q. When you see a team that's struggling like they have been the last couple weeks to score, do you approach things like you're anticipating change? How do you anticipate change that is not coming from personnel?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah.
Q. You look at what they've done wrong and think they might get this one out of the playbook, go a different direction here?
TERYL AUSTIN: I think what you do here is look at the things they've done well during the course of a year, how they can maybe get more of that into their game plan, not so much the things they're not doing well.
Obviously they have two really good receivers, the young back gives them a good change in terms of speed and agility, getting outside. Receiver skill set background. I look at all those things.
How are they going to try to get these guys more involved because those guys really have been the catalyst for them in addition to when the quarterback runs the ball.
They've got some things that they'll do good. Instead of looking at all the things they do negative, look at what do they do good, how are they going to accentuate that coming into this week.
Q. With Joey, when you're game planning, what are some of the conversations you have or some of the factors that go into the decision whether you decide he's going to follow a guy or try to limit him in a different way?
TERYL AUSTIN: I think some of it all goes to matchups, if we feel if he doesn't match up with this guy, leaves us short on the other side for some reason. We haven't had a lot of those this year. I think a lot of that speaks to the way that D Jack is playing, allows us to be maybe a little bit more stagnant, not have to chase guys all over the field.
We know Joey has that capability if we do get a situation where we think these two guys matching up on these two guys is good for us. That's not out of our pocket. Just hasn't shown up so far this year.
Q. You've had a lot of batted balls at the line of scrimmage the last games. What is the key to that as well as how does it impact your pass coverage?
TERYL AUSTIN: Well, it's great for our pass coverage. The key is I think our bigs, we always like to talk about every meal is not a banquet, so they have to understand there's going to be times when it's a lot of quick throws, maybe there's some times where he wants to get the ball out of his hands fast.
You can rush as great as you'd like to rush, but that ball is going to be gone. What are you going to do in the meantime? Those guys understand those situations. That's why you see them getting batted balls.
They know the ball is coming out quick. I might not get there, so let me get my hands up and see if I can disrupt the play another way. That's where our guys have been really good.
It's really a testament to them and to the coaching and what they're doing in that room up there that they're able to be impactful even though they may not be getting all the sacks that they want.
Q. I think Cam called Daniel Jones a Josh Allen type in that he's more straight line. How much are they calling runs? How big of an issue are his feet?
TERYL AUSTIN: They're calling them. It's a big issue because he can really run. A few years ago he got up to almost 22 miles an hour. That is running. He's a big, strong guy. He's not afraid to run. They use the quarterback runs.
Again, it's going to keep you honest on defense. You're not going to load up and not worry about the quarterback. You have to worry about him and the things that he can do with his feet.
It is a challenge. It always is when you have a quarterback that can run, it affects how you game plan and the things that you do.
Q. Loose end with the Jets game. You had a couple of guys in the locker room saying part of the reason you were as effective as you were in dealing with Adams was you prepared for him two weeks in a row. How were you preparing the guys for him? How did you prepare them for his reuniting with them?
TERYL AUSTIN: When we say we're preparing, it's the things we put in place when we know we have a receiver that can wreck the game, a star receiver. We're going to do things in terms of coverage to make sure it's never easy for him to get the ball. We're going to make him work to get it. We're going to change things up around him.
I think those are probably the things that the guys are talking about. That was able to carry over when we got to last week. I mean, still the same player. Just got a different jersey on.
Q. Four years of Packers film saying, Watch this?
TERYL AUSTIN: No. I've experienced four years of Packers film with those guys. I kind of had an idea of what they like, what they like to do. I've offered my two cents a couple of the DBs.
In terms of our structure and our game plan, we try to just make sure if you have a legitimate guy, we don't want you to kill us. We want to try to make sure that we keep a lid on you and make somebody else beat us.
Q. Payton said he wanted his goal for the season to be he didn't want to be thought of as a rookie, hold me back because I'm a rookie, I'm a veteran. Have you seen that from him?
TERYL AUSTIN: Yeah, Payton, he's a football junky. It's good to see. He does not act like a rookie. Does not want to be treated like a rookie. You see that from him in the way he comes into meetings, prepares. He's early. He's early in the building, late-out-of-the-building type of guy.
He's brought a level of maturity that allows us to not treat him like a rookie. I think that's good because that will accelerate his growth, as well.
Q. Where has he grown the most?
TERYL AUSTIN: Like all young guys, he has to grow in terms of scheme and recognition, NFL football, how it is. That mentally is probably the biggest thing in terms of that.
The thing we work with him, young guys, getting off NFL blocks, getting to the play. We know he can run, he likes to hit when he gets there. He has the ability to cover. Those are the things you're continually working on.
It's not unique to him. It's just a young guy kind of growth phase.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports