Head Coach Norv Turner

Opening Statement:

“You know you do everything this team has done to get to this point and you know it’s well-documented the number of guys who have contributed to the team. The things that we had to do to get to this point and then you get in this game, what you like to have happen is to play your best game. You like to be playing your best game in January in games like this. Certainly, we weren’t, for whatever reasons. We did not do that today … the things that we’ve done that have given us a chance to win the games in the end (we did not do). First of all we’ve been one of the least penalized teams in the league and obviously we had numerous penalties that slowed us down and a couple of penalties that took away chances to get way down in there, particularly on the Vincent Jackson play all the way down in there. We obviously didn’t play our best game. It’s disappointing.”

How much was it the Jets dictating how they want to play?

“The Jets are a good team. They’re first in the league in third down defense and they’re going to create some different looks. But those are not things we’ve done with a couple of the times we’re trying to get the right protection and have had false starts. As I said the Vincent Jackson play, we haven’t made those kinds of mistakes. I don’t know if that’s based on what the Jets did or we had a critical error there.”

Did nerves factor into this game?

“Well, you’re excited to play and our guys were anxious and excited, but I don’t think nerves are what that is. We’ve talked a lot in the past, to win these types of games is you have to do what you have to do. You can’t try to do more then what you do. We had two or three balls that I thought could’ve been caught and guys are trying to run before they caught it. Those types of plays, you have to maintain the discipline. “

How do you explain the uncharacteristic personal fouls?

“No question. That’s how I describe it uncharacteristic. Obviously, it’s disappointing.”

How much of it was the pass defense or rush defense?

“The passing game I don’t think was an issue. They’re very good up front. They did a good job against us. We weren’t able to get anything going in the running game. That’s what ultimately makes it difficult and we missed opportunities obviously as we know. We missed a couple field goals we normally make and a couple times down in there we had penalties that took us out.”

Have you talked to Nate?

“I talked to him on the sideline.”

How hard is it for you to see him?

“I’m not going to put it all on Nate. We’ve had a lot of guys that have had career years that have plays that they would like to have the outcome different.”

Have you ever been a part of a team that played so well for an extended time and then it all comes crashing down?

“I don’t think it all came crashing down. Again, these games as I said during the week everyone wants to know they’re eight teams in it and they’re all good football teams. These games come down to a few plays and there some great effort out there. Defensively I thought we did an awful lot of good things. We made mistakes that we normally don’t and we didn’t do enough good things.”

Could that have been from frustration?

“As the game went on, I don’t know that you can answer that question or analyze that or express what caused that. It happened.”

On Philip Rivers second interception:

“He was throwing the ball to Vincent. We put Vincent in motion to get the press off and obviously we’re backed up and trying to get out of there. He said when he threw the ball he thought he had a chance and I think it just got a little away from him. Vincent was a little tighter than he expected.”

Do you think you stayed with the run too long?

“No, I don’t because that’s the type of game. No, I don’t. It was a three point game and we were ahead. There were things we like with an offensive line. With this group, if you turn it into just a pass every down it gets tough. There’s a good period of time where we were ahead in the game and there’s a couple drives where you look at it and you say maybe we should’ve taken a shot with a run there and given ourselves a chance.”

On the Sproles package working so well in the 4^th quarter:
“It’s the same thing we all know. It’s a 10-point game and it’s a totally different defense. That’s part of the deal. It gives you chance to get back in it.”

Why the onside kick at the end?

“That’s the one you have to make a call on and that’s always a tough call. We’ve been successful. We got a very good kick. We got big tall guys that have a chance to get it. Either way we were going to have to stop them. Obviously, if we kick it deep they have three downs to get it. If you kick it deep, their play selection might be a little different.”

Down 10 in the 4^th quarter, did you think to go for touchdown first and the field goal second?

“Well, we were there and three gives you a chance. As I’ve said about Nate many times, we get in that range and I expect him to make the kick. He expects too.”

How pleased were you with the defense?

“We played hard. We did some great things in terms of defending them.”

Of all things, you would not have expected the mental breakdowns?

“No question because when you go through a season and as I said you’re in the top five in fewest penalties, your in the top five in fewest penalty yards, that’s one of the things we know got us to this point. That’s something we don’t take lightly. We expressed and talked about it a great deal this week: understanding the things that gave us a chance to win those close games we were in and obviously some other games that weren’t so close.”

Did you ever think to go to the hurry-up offense quicker?

“Again, we got to it. The game was a 10-7 game. The hurry-up is good and it’s three and out and it’s not good. We were in a fine rhythm in terms of I think giving ourselves a chance. We were doing some things that were giving us a chance. You spread this group out and they give you a lot of protection problems. During that stretch that you’re talking about, we had three or four plays that we normally catch or complete that we didn’t come up with.”

What happened early in the game with the time out?
“We had two things where one of them we had a head set malfunction and the play got in there late and it was confusing. It was a third down and instead of trying to get half way into a protection we thought that would help us get it. The second time we sent in the wrong formation.”

Do you feel especially disappointed for a guy like LT?

“I think we know I feel and you feel about LT. It’s difficult for everyone in that locker room, but I know how he looked forward to this opportunity. It’s real hard.”

Any idea why you started so slow, Nick Hardwick snapping the ball over Philip’s head?

“As I said, when you go back and look at it there’s going to be 10 things like that. We haven’t had a bad snap on shotgun this year. I asked what happened and he says it got away from him.”

What is the difference in the first half with dominating them to the second half?

“That’s the way games go and obviously we had two turnovers at the lead of the second half. That was a crazy play to Vincent. Again, there are plays we made. Our guys are unbelievable. Malcom has both hands on the ball two different times and doesn’t come down with it. Vincent has a chance to catch a ball and it bounces off his leg and ends up being an interception. Those plays are what you’re talking about. That changes if you’re in the second half if that happens.”

San Diego Chargers Quarterback Philip Rivers

It seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong, any idea why?

“You want to play your best game when you get to this point and we obviously didn’t do it.  It’s disappointing because you want to make enough plays and play well enough to win the game.  We fell three points short but fought like crazy to try to overcome some of those mistakes, but we just didn’t get it done.”

Did you lose sharpness over the bye week?

“That’s what everyone is going to say because it’s the easy thing to write about but we just didn’t play well enough to win.  They outplayed us.”

They kept sending a guy off the right side, why didn’t you put someone in the backfield to stop that?

“Sometimes they bring more-than you have.  You can’t block them all.  They’re bringing more guys than you have to block.  Protection-wise we did a great job picking up the blitz.  When they’re bringing more than you have, you have to throw it hot.  I thought we made some of those adjustments pretty well and the one I can remember was the sack fumble and we regained possession.”

Were you going for Vincent Jackson on Leonhard’s interception?

“Yes, he was coming in on a dig and I just threw it a little too soon and brought him in a little too far.  It was just not a smart play.”

Do you think today was uncharacteristic of this team?

“Well there’s no doubt.  We did some things we haven’t done in these last 11, games.  Some things we did do in these last 11, but we were able to overcome them.  When you’re able to overcome them, people forget about them and when you can’t, they cost you a playoff game.  It’s unfortunate.”

Were the penalties disappointing?

“It is disappointing that we had that many penalties.  Some of them were unsportsman like and some other different things like delays and false starts.  I think it was 10, or even more than that so it certainly wasn’t the football we played when we won 11 in a row.”

Do you think the unsportsman like conduct was out of frustration?

“I don’t know.  It really doesn’t matter why it happened.  It happened.  That ended up not hurting us really.”

From your view did you think the interception was an incomplete pass?

“I thought it hit the ground.  If they get an interception, then I’ll take it.  It is my fault but that’s just an unlucky deal.  Vincent [Jackson] almost makes a great catch and it bounces off his leg and pops up in their hands.  I thought I saw an incomplete sign.  The ball was 100% intercepted. I was hoping if it at least got called incomplete you could use a challenge.  That was more heat of the moment and hoping it wasn’t true, but it was.”

When talking about uncharacteristic behavior, what leads to that?  Do the Jets get credit for that?

“Whoever you’re playing deserves the credit.  They won the football game.  We didn’t play as good as we could have or have in the past.  I think the reasons why don’t really change the outcome.  We just didn’t get it done.”

How difficult was their defense compared to what you have seen?

“I think they are a good defense.  You can’t take that away from them.  They only gave up an average of 14.80 points during the year.  We beat their average, we moved the ball and challenged them in ways they haven’t been before, but we just didn’t turn those into points.  We got down in there early but didn’t get points.  We had a play in the third quarter after [Quentin] Jammer’s interception, that took us down to the 15, but had a penalty.  We had some others things that kept us out of the end zone but we did some things offensively, yard-wise, but who cares about yards if you don’t have more points at the end than the other team?”

Did their defense confuse you?

“No.” 

Does the outcome of this game wipe away the season?

“There’s only one team happy at the end.  Unless you win it all, it eventually ends like this, either this week, or next week, or at the Super Bowl.  Obviously you want to be the team standing at the top, but for 31 teams it ends like this.  Some get further than others, but the feeling of the loss, defeat and disappointment is the same for all 31 of us.  We prepared the right way, practiced the right way, but just didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”

The first play after the Jets take the lead 10-7, LT runs for 1 yard, and there were significant boos.  Were the fans booing for LT or the play call?

“You have to ask them.”

Were you aware of it?

“I really don’t give it much thought.” 

San Diego Chargers Running back LaDainian Tomlinson

How tough was it to run?

“There defense was perfect. They were the number one defense for a reason and they proved it today.”

Could you imagine all these things going wrong in one game?

“Of course not. We haven’t played like this all year. Penalties and stuff, that is uncharacteristic of this team. We did it today. You can say maybe it’s a case of their defense getting us out of rhythm and having us press a little bit. Credit goes to them.”

How good was their defense?

“It was the best defense I’ve played this year. No question. Run, pass, and they are really prepared. Hats off to them.”

You want a Super Bowl ring; does that motivate you to come back next year?

 “I can’t even think about that right now. It’s very disappointing to think about the future.”

Do you want to come back?

“I can’t tell you that right now.”

Do you think you played your last game with the Chargers?

“I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’ve heard all the speculation. But, I’ll tell you what, I’ve had a heck of a time here and if it is, I’ve enjoyed the ride.”

Do you know if it’s your last year?

“I don’t know. Obviously I have a couple years left on my contract but it’s a year-to-year league. No one knows what will happen.”

You’ve said that this team was your best shot at a Super Bowl, how disappointing is it to lose your first playoff game?

“You can’t explain it because of the disappointment. You had it all thought out on how it was supposed to go and this was the best shot we had. To lose this game today, I’m at a loss for words. Of course noone expected to lose tonight.”

Was there a sense as this game was going on that it wasn’t going the way you guys wanted it to?

“No I don’t think so. We always felt like we were going to get it going and they weren’t going to be able to stop us the whole the game and at some we point we were going to put the ball in the end zone.”

Did you underestimate the Jets?

“No, not at all. There is no such thing as underestimating somebody at this point. If someone makes it to this position in the playoffs you can’t underestimate them. Like I said earlier, they had the winning formula to be here.”

Were you aware of the boos on your first down carry?

“That’s frustration on the fans part. Not being able to do much the whole game and the first play that we’re behind we try to run it up in there and we didn’t do anything.”

Do you take it personal?

“No, I don’t”

What does is say about a team that is uncharacteristic?

“Sometimes you have to give other guys credit and that’s plain and simple, not making any excuses. They kicked our buts today. They were very physical and hats off to them.”

So the better team won today?

“I wouldn’t say that. As they say, any team can win one game and they were the better team today.”

Do you still have it in you to play?

“Obviously I have the passion in me. But when this happens it takes a lot out of you, mentally and physically. It has a toll on you to lose like this.”

San Diego Chargers Kicker Nate Kaeding

On getting through a tough game after missing three field goals:

“One of these rested on my shoulders before.  Professionally, it’s a tough thing to get through but I never feel sorry for myself.  I feel sorry for my teammates, my coaches and the support staff for letting them down.  It’s going to be a tough few months but I have to get through it.  If you relish the good parts of it, you have got to be able to work through the bad part as well. I’ve been through it before, its a tough night obviously and we’ll let this rest and pick up the pieces.”

On what happened on the three missed field goals:

“I didn’t kick it between the uprights.”

On how he felt coming into today’s game:

“I felt great coming in and obviously I’ve been kicking the ball great coming in. It was just one of those things where I put some bad swings on it and the ball didn’t go in.”  

On the ups and downs of his football career:

“It’s tough, it is obviously not enjoyable.  The other side of it definitely beats this side of it but like I said, if you play this game and you can only accept when things go well, then you’re in the wrong business.  Especially in my position because you’re going to miss some and unfortunately some days like this will come and my really bad days have been untimely ones.  Its tough to deal with but you have got to deal with it, it’s part of the deal.”

On how he felt about today’s missed field goals:

“I don’t know. When you make them you put a good swing at them and when you miss them you don’t.  The ones that I missed today, I didn’t hit very well.”

On his fundamentals when he’s kicking field goals:

“You just try to replicate and do the same swing every time.”

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates

On how he is feeling right now:

“Disappointed, frustrated at this point just knowing that there were a lot of things that we did to ourselves. We had a lot of penalties, which is uncharacteristic of the San Diego Chargers.”

On the Chargers in the second half not seeming like the same team we had seen over the last eleven games:

“When you are playing this kind of game, it’s amazing how penalties can change field position and can mean so much in a game like this. Obviously, it meant a world of difference in this game. They continued to stick with their game plan. They bust up a long run and you look up and we were trailing. That’s just how easy this game can turn around.”

On if it was the Jets or if the Chargers beat themselves today:

“To a certain extent. There were some things that were just uncharacteristic of the Chargers; all of the penalties and we had delay of game (penalties). To me, we had more penalties and unsportsmanlike conduct (penalties) in this game than we had since I can remember. That’s why it’s just important to come out and play your best football around this time of the year.”

On having a core group of players and if they felt that this year was one of their best chances to go all the way:

“I think that’s what is devastating at this point because we understand that our focus was there. The maturity level was there. We had dealt with a lot of adversity so there wasn’t anything at this point that we hadn’t seen as a unit. To come out and lay an egg in this game… words can’t really describe how I feel, how this team feels at this point.”

On having been here before and knowing how the next nine months is going to feel like and on how he is not looking forward to that:

“It’s heart-breaking. Like I’ve said in the past, it’s just that the National Football League is a game of inches, a game of taking care of the football. They did a better job than we did today.”

On how good the Jets defense is:

“They play hard. They make plays but with all due respect, we just weren’t playing up to our standards. We made some plays offensively but the key to me was just the penalties, they were killing us. We turned the ball over and that just was uncharacteristic of us, offensively. It just hurt us.”

On if the team seemed to lose focus after each penalty:

“To me it was so uncharacteristic. I couldn’t really believe it was happening at times. Penalty after penalty. I’m thinking like, ‘Man, not again,’ because that wasn’t us. That isn’t something, if the past you look at is the last eleven games, delay of game? Unsportsmanlike conduct? I can’t remember the last time we had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. We chose the wrong game against the wrong team to not capitalize.”

On if any of the Jets defensive looks confused the offense:

“They do a lot of different things defensively. You look up and there are two down-linemen and nine guys walking around. They are a tremendous team. They play hard on both sides of the ball but make no mistake about it, this was just about the San Diego Chargers. We lost by three points and there were some things that were just… I mean I dropped some passes. It wasn’t the team I’ve been around for the last eleven weeks. With that being said, we fought hard and we went out and did what we could do and our guys played their heart out.”

San Diego Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper

How much tougher is it considering the way you guys played tonight when you haven’t really played like that all season?

“It’s real tough. It’s very tough because this isn’t our team. We are a very disciplined team. We’ve had our penalties down all season and for some reason we had some very stupid penalties today and they showed. If you have penalties in the playoffs and you give a team like the Jets an opportunity to win, they are going to keep grinding and grinding and grinding because that is what they do.”

What was the difference between the first half and the second half?

“I think the second half we had a couple turnovers and they got the ball with good field position. They controlled their field position during the game and that’s why they won.”

San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle

On the game and if the way they played made it sting even more:

“It always hurts when you lose. The reality of the fact is that this is it; the season is over and you never know what is going to happen next year. The opportunity we had- we didn’t seize it for whatever reason. I don’t believe it’s the bye, I don’t believe it’s time off. We just didn’t play good enough to win so you’ve got to give credit to the Jets.”

The expectations were so high for you guys; is the disappointment just as great?

“If they weren’t as high it would still hurt just as much. The season is over. We thought we had a really good team and obviously we didn’t play good enough to win.”

You have to give credit to the Jets but at the end of the day do you feel that you beat yourself out there?

“No. I don’t think that. When we lose, we didn’t play good enough to win. The Jets had a lot to do with that. You have to give credit to your opponent. Hopefully we’ll learn from it and come back strong next year.”

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman

Were you surprised at the number of penalties?

“Yes th’at was very uncharacteristic of us. Why today? I don’t know but you can’t win like that at all, you cant win. We can’t expect to win a game in the playoffs with that many penalties. It’s just not us.”

It has to be such a shock to go from the high you guys were at before this game, to where you guys are at right now:

“It’s not a good feeling. I’ll tell you that much, especially when you come so far and you’ve done all the right things to get in the position that we were in, and to fall like this is a horrible feeling. Horrible.”

Is the suddenness of the season the worst part of it?

“It is because like I said, when you work so hard and have done all the right things to get in the position we were in and lose the way we did, it’s not like we got kicked around the field. I’m not sure exactly how many penalties we had but I’m sure that we had a lot of them.”

Very uncharacteristic of this team?

“We’re not used to doing those things at all. It’s so tough, not just to lose the game, but to lose the way we did. We have a bunch of guys in this locker room that played hard and played their hearts out and it didn’t end up the way we wanted it to. We started moving the ball and did some positive things at the end but ran out of time.”

Do you think you guys were rusty after that week off?

“I don’t think so. I think the week off helped a lot of guys get healthy including myself. We got well-rested and ready to play football. When you have a week off like that, it has nothing to do with the amount of penalties that we had today. It was uncharacteristic of us period.”

In your gut feeling, do you think that you’ll be back next year?

“Who knows. I love the game of football. I love my teammates and my fans, and whether I’m here or not, it’s not up to me. That’s the last thing that I’m thinking about. I feel terrible for these guys in the locker room who have been here and wanted to win and get a ring, and who have put in so much work and to lose the way we did, I feel bad just for those guys alone. It’s one of the toughest things that you’ll ever have to deal with.”

How stunning was it to have so many composure penalties today?

“It was one of those things that we haven’t had a problem with the whole entire season because we had a lot of discipline and not making mistakes. We did all those uncharacteristic things today that we haven’t done all season. When you lose like that, that’s what makes it hurt that much more.”

Did their running game take a toll down at the end of the game?

“I don’t think so. I think we had a wrap on them for most of the game. But when you keep giving them back the ball and keep giving them opportunities, there’s a reason why they’re in the playoffs. They are going to finally score and we missed some field goals and if you do uncharacteristic things like that, you have to expect to lose. It’s a terrible feeling.”

San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo

On what he can say about the loss:

“The one thing we can say is that everybody is going to be looking for someone to blame. We’ll have nine months for every individual to find a way to point to themselves and to find a way, one of these years, to get past one of these games.”

On what happened to the maturity of the team over the bye week to not come out on top today:

“You always play as a team. When you are at this point, at this level of the season, you’re not playing a bad team and sometimes it’s a matter of who can go out there and have things go their way and we just didn’t today.”

On if the penalties, especially the personal fouls, make the loss more gut-wrenching:

“There are so many different things whether it’s missed opportunities, whether it’s mistakes, whether it’s, obviously, the penalties and not just the personal fouls but the before-the-play-starts penalties. The dead ball penalties really hurt you and really there’s no reason for them. There’s also no explanation. It’s not like we didn’t do everything we needed to. It’s not like we didn’t prepare the way we needed to. Things just didn’t go our way.”

On some of the players in the locker room not being back next year and how much that hurts:

“Every year you just see it as, I don’t want to say a lost opportunity, but every year you see it as make-it or break-it because in this league, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s free-agency, whether it’s just the nature of our business, you don’t get many (opportunities). We’ve been fortunate enough to have a few over the years and we believe we have a core group of players on this team who are going to continue to fight, continue to be good and continue to try to get to that level that we haven’t been able to achieve yet. It’s disappointing because we did feel like we had a great chance.”

On the long touchdown run given up by the defense and what happened on that play:

“I don’t know what happened. It was most likely a missed fit, a mental mistake. To give up that type of a play, it’s not usually something where everybody was where they were supposed to be and they just got blocked. It’s usually a mental mistake and look, if it was, it’s still on the other ten guys on the field to find a way to get it corrected because in this league everyone gets beat every now and then. We all have to rally. We have to find a way to play together and it’s not on just one guy.”

San Diego Chargers long snapper David Binn

On if past playoff games had any influence on the game:

“I don’t think so, it’s a different game. I had a little bit of a feeling that we were just out of it and the Jets are a good team and they came in and they played good defense and we have to give some credit to them for maybe throwing us off a little bit. As a team, it just seemed like we just weren’t hitting on all cylinders today and that’s what happens.”

On being here for a long time and having this kind of disappointment many times and on where this one ranks:

“None of them are easy. You just try and hope you play your best game. We didn’t do that today and ended up with a loss. It’s shocking and it feels a little bit surreal right now, like the season’s over? You just have to move on and look forward to next year.”

On how uncharacteristic it felt for this team:

“It just felt a little bit off, I think. There were just some mistakes made by, it seems like, everybody on both sides of the ball, special teams, everywhere they were just a little bit off. I guess that’s all it takes to turn it into a loss.”

On how bad he feels for Nate Kaeding:

“I feel bad for him, really bad.”

TODAY’S INACTIVES
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS vs. NEW YORK JETS
Qualcomm Stadium (70,000) – San Diego, California
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 – 1:40 pm PST

San Diego Chargers Inactives
6                  QB               Charlie Whitehurst (3rd Quarterback)
24               CB               Dante Hughes
29               RB               Michael Bennett
57               LB                Dontarrious Thomas
58               LB                Marques Harris
77               C                  Eric Ghiaciuc
84               WR              Buster Davis
92               DE               Vaughn Martin
                                                  
Chargers Starting Lineup Changes from the Flip Card
None
 
San Diego Chargers Roster Changes from the Flip Card
None
 
New York Jets Inactives
7              QB                   Kevin O’Connell (third quarterback)
10           QB                   Erik Ainge
32           RB                   Chauncey Washington
54           LB                    Kenwin Cummings
68           G                     Matt Slauson
79           DE                   Ropati Pitoitua
87           WR                  David Clowney
94           LB                    Marques Murrell
 
New York Jets Starting Lineup Changes from the Flip Card
None
 
New York Jets Roster Changes from the Flip Card
None

Head Coach Norv Turner

On today's practice:
"We had a good practice. We have good energy and I think that comes from being fresh. As I said, we've been extremely focused all week."

How does today compare to previous Fridays?
"One of the things this team has done is practice at a really high level, a consistently high level, all season on Fridays. That's where we really fine tune what we're doing. We make it less physical. We make it more about quickness and execution and assignments. That's been something that has really helped this team play well and play well early in games. I don't think today was any different than we've practiced on Fridays."

Is this as focused of a team as you've had?
"This team is very focused. We've got guys that I think know how to prepare and have done that over the time I've been here."

Have you been monitoring the weather?
"It's kind of crazy to monitor the weather or give it a bunch of attention now. What I usually do is, about two hours before the game, go out and walk around the field and see what the weather is. Then you plan accordingly. All this speculation and spending hours talking about what it might be or might not be; we played well in all kinds of weather. We'll have a plan based on if it's windy, if it's rainy or if it's dry, whatever that might be."

What would you say is your biggest advantage against the Jets in this game?
"Like I said yesterday, when you get down to eight teams, every team is very good and every team is playing at a real high level. I'm not sure that there is an advantage for anybody. If we have an advantage it's obviously being at home. I refer back to our Cincinnati game and the way our crown reacted in that game. I thought our crowd was a big difference in that game. Through the third quarter they struggled offensively, they had a bunch of pre-snap errors, and I thought our crowd had a lot to do with that. I expect them to be as loud as they've ever been and that's obviously why you want to play at home."

Do you ever worry about your team coming out flat at the start?
"You're always concerned about that, but I don't use the word flat because that's an easy out for describing how a game went. If you don't convert on third downs; let's say you go out and you have a third and six the first series and you don't convert and you go three and out and then you have a situation where you don't convert again and turn it the other way around and the other team gets third and eight and they convert, third and six and they convert, and they put a drive together, people say they were flat. Well, maybe they didn't execute as well as you'd like, but I'm not sure flat is the right term in those cases."

Do you ever marvel at Nate Kaeding's consistency now that he's made so many in a row?
"The two things that I've learned about kickers is that you never take it for granted, and the other thing is if you have a kicker who doesn't take it for granted then he's got a heck of a chance of being as consistent as Nate is. Nate never takes a kick of granted. He goes in there and he's as focused as anyone I've been around. He's got a routine. He doesn't assume he's going to make it. He doesn't ever get bored with what his job is. That's why he's kicked at the level he's kicked."

Did you watch Neil Rackers kick last weekend for Arizona?
"I saw it on all the highlights. I saw it about 15 times, I think, on all the highlights"

What causes that? He's a very consistent kicker.
"That's why, as I said, I never assume it's an automatic. That's why I appreciate what Nate does so much."

Are you the only team that you know of to employ the skinny goal posts (on the practice field)?
"I don't know. I know Nate likes them. Just to tell you how he is, when it doesn't go through those and misses it by a foot or two feet, he doesn't ever say to himself that would have been good on the regular post. He wants to put it through those posts. That says something about him. It's easy to say it would have been good, but that's not the purpose of having those posts."

Does a wet field favor the Jets because they run the ball so much?
"I don't know. That one will be discussed at 4:45 if it's wet. Our guys have played extremely well on all kinds of surfaces. I don't think if it rains it will be a disadvantage to our football team." 

###

Head Coach Norv Turner

Any health updates?
"It's the same exact report as yesterday. I thought we made it through good today. A very good practice."

You established a plan of how you wanted these two weeks to play out in terms of practice. Has it gone according to how you mapped it out?
"I think the things we addressed last week were we've had some difficulties, things where we've given up plays or we haven't executed as well as we'd liked on offense or in the kicking game. I think it's showed up yesterday and today that we've addressed some issues and I think we fixed some issues. Obviously it's practice and you address them and you want it to show up in the game. I thought our practices have been outstanding."

You said yesterday's practice was as up-tempo a Wednesday practice as week one or week two. How much of that is resting?
"I believe that the physical part of it is a factor and I think that all of the guys, if you talked to them, would feel that and agree with that. It's the focus. When you're as focused as they are right now and you know what's out in front of you, what the possibilities are, then everyone is focused and everyone is focused on each other. There's more communication in practice on both days then you'd ever have in a normal Wednesday or Thursday practice."

Do you sense more attention in meetings?
"Absolutely. The biggest thing is the details of what we're doing. You don't change a lot of what you're doing on a week-to-week basis, but you have to change to gear it towards the opponent you're playing. I think our guys have done a great job of understanding the Jets and understanding the things that we have to handle."

What kind of differences do you see in preparation with a team that has this kind of playoff experience, as opposed to a younger team?
"Maturity is a big deal and it's easy to get caught up in everything that's going on around you and not zero in on the details of football. I think you get that with experience and maturity."

Is there a disadvantage in having a bye week and possibly losing momentum?
"I think it depends on your team. I believe we have a number of guys who would have struggled to play a week ago. So that part of it, there's no way that that's not a positive. We went into Indianapolis and they had had a bye two years ago and we had played a real tough game against Tennessee and we were little bit beat up, but we were healthy enough to play, so that is an issue. We have to be ready to go in a snap. I think that would indicate the stats you're talking about, that it's not as big of an advantage. I think you see the eight teams in this tournament right now, there's not much difference. The games come down to one or two plays, they come down to a missed kick, they come down to a penalty in a critical situation and a fumble, something like that. You know you have to go play your best. I don't care who you are and where you're playing and if you've had rest or not, you're going to have to go out and play a real good game. If you don't you're going to have problems."

Did you have more contact in practice this week since you didn't play last week?
"Yeah, in fact we went in pads yesterday and I got a little nervous about halfway through because it was a physical practice. We certainly want to be ready, we want to go; I don't want to leave it out here."

When you addressed the team on Sunday, did you say anything to the team to make sure they don't get too hyped up?
"Poise is a big issue and poise is probably the biggest reason we've won 11-straight games. There's going to be emotion involved; I don't think you ever downplay that. I don't know that you're going to falsely create that. The emotion is going to be there for both teams and it's going to be a big part of the game early. Our experience and our maturity and our poise are going to have to take care of us."

Have you paid attention at all to the weather report and is that going to be a factor in your game plan?
"No, I look at it. I know there's been a forecast possibly of some rain. We played Tennessee in the rain in the playoffs, the first playoff game that I was here. It doesn't get bad and the forecast doesn't look like it would be bad where it would be an issue."

You mentioned that you were a little nervous during yesterday's practice. Did you scale it back at all?
"No, I didn't. We had a good practice. You get a little cautious, and certainly as said, you don't want to get someone banged up out there and you don't want to leave it out on the practice field. Our tempo is good. We know what to do. I know it's going to be physical and I know it's going to be an emotional game."

How much of an advantage is it to pick up the Jets' blitz packages when you have players like Nick Hardwick and Philip Rivers that are pretty adept at picking those things out?
"It's a big part of it. The biggest thing you can do is minimize the third downs. That is what the Jets do such a great job at. They're so good at first and second down that you're going to have to handle third down. They're by far the best team in the league on third down defense and they've been better the last six weeks than they were the first 10. They sometime in the game are going to get somebody free, and we're just going to make sure that it doesn't turn into a big play for them. We've got to handle it because they come from so many different places so that at some point they do. When you pick them up and you get open, you have to take advantage of it. They're an outstanding cover group, they're an outstanding pressure group and you're going to have to go out and make big plays to win, to win each matchup. You're not going to slow them down, it's not like you're going to get a big play and they're going to quit coming because that's what they do."

Your offensive line has been in a state of flux all year. At the end of the year did you feel that you had your cohesiveness back?
"Absolutely, and when you look at getting Nick (Hardwick) back and with Kris (Dielman) and Marcus (McNeill) over there, we have that cohesiveness. Louis (Vasquez) has been in there almost every down, he missed a couple of games, but Louis is not your average rookie and he's been one of the reasons that we've had success and had continuity. I can't say enough about what Brandyn Dombrowski has done. I know they're going to give him some problems; people have attacked him and people have tried to confuse him and people have given him different looks and he's handled them. I have confidence he will."

How good is Philip Rivers at picking up blitzes and how important that skill is at being a good quarterback?
"It's managing the game. The difference right now in the two quarterbacks, obviously, is Philip has a lot more plays he has to manage in our offense. Mark (Sanchez) has done a great job and they're done a great job running the ball and playing defense. When you have 15 throws and of those six of them are third downs, you don't have as many plays that you have to manage. If we can get him in an uncomfortable situation and into some situations that he has to manage more things, we'll do everything that we can do take advantage of that."

Will you give the starters any more time on special teams now that you're healthy?
"We're healthy on special teams and we have a lot of starters involved in our kicking game. We have starters that are involved as backups, if we have a problem. Our special teams core is strong; they play good; they're young guys that have high energy and execute well. I'm excited for them, in terms of the opportunities that they have."

TE Antonio Gates

What is the physical difference with a week layoff?
"We fought and battled to get to this spot and it's definitely going to help us. We had some guys banged up. It just put us in the best physical position possible to go out and win a football game. I think that's what matters the most."

How do you feel personally? Can you tell that's it's been a while since you guys have taken hits?
"That's why we played the last game. We wanted to maintain that chemistry and that competitive edge that we had leading up to the postseason. If you watched that first team in our last game of the season, we came out making some throws, we missed some throws, but I think the most important thing was that we were able to compete and maintain the chemistry in a live game."

What do you expect to see from the Jets defense?
"You never really know because the Jets are not a divisional opponent. One thing I've learned since I've been playing is that the postseason presents so many different situations. Sometimes you may prepare a certain way but the game presents itself in a whole different way. I think we are definitely prepared and ready to play but at the same time we understand that in a playoff game, your ability to adapt is just as important as anything else you can do. We have some things on film that we see but we're not really for sure that things will be played exactly that way because there are so many guys that can make plays on this offense."

Have you seen them do some completely different things week to week?
"They do a lot of different things. Rex Ryan came from Baltimore and the way they pressure and the way their corners are very physical makes it a challenge. They have a lot of guys who can make plays on their defense. With that being said, we have guys that can make plays offensively so we don't want to get caught up in what they are doing defensively because we still have to worry about playing San Diego Chargers football."

Because they have such good corners, do you feel pressure to make plays in the offense?
"No because we play together as a unit. There's no situation where I feel like there's pressure on me or the team for that matter. If we continue to do the things that we've been doing since up until the postseason, then the San Diego Chargers are going to be fine. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up into the hype and everything else but our main focus is to prepare as well as we can and go out and have fun because these types of opportunities come once in a lifetime."

What's the value of playoff experience?
"If I had to sum everything up to the younger guys around here it would be that in the playoffs, every single possession is so valuable. You have to really take care of that football. I remember the last time we played the Jets and we had a chance to win the game but we missed the field goal and they came back and made it. That's just how small the margin of error is in a playoff game. But with all that being said, go out and have fun. It's a football game. Still go out and play the way you know how to play the game and go out and fly around. I guarantee you that you can walk away with your head high if you gave it your all."

Do you remember how nervous you were for your first playoff game?
"It was crazy because that was the first time the Chargers had been in a playoff game since 1994. I could just remember the energy and the focus that we had. But all of those things that we've done in the past have made us who we are today. It gave us that adversity and experience that I think makes us a different team. We're not that team from 2006 or the team from last year, we're a group of guys that have been in those games and have learned from those games."

Is it possible to be over-amped for a win or home game?
"Normally I would say so. But like I said, this team has gone through so much. We've played in big games. We've won some, we've lost some but overall we've learned from them. Now you just see the focus. I could remember my first playoff game, and about this time then, I was like 'wow this is a long season.' Now, it feels like some new. Something about the energy now feels totally different. It just speaks how we carry ourselves and our mindset about what our focus is which is to win a Super Bowl championship."

Can you remember a time that this team has ever been this healthy?
"It's been a long time. The physical part has been an issue for us in the past but now we are making sure everything is in place. Obviously preparation is still the key but the fact that we are healthy and physically ready has me anxious to see how we're going to play this week."

You brought up the missed field goal the last time you guys faced the Jets in the playoffs. Have you talked to Nate; is he looking for some redemption?
"Nate has been kicking tremendously. He was voted to the Pro Bowl this year so I'm quite sure that is something that he's learned from in the past. That's why he is the kicker he is today. I remember him missing kicks in the past, but now he's a whole new player and this is a whole new team like I said previously. We are just ready to play football and try and win a Super Bowl this year."

Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera

What made the biggest difference in the way the team executed during the 11-game win streak?
"I think as we look back on this year, which we had a chance last week, you've got to really point out the consistency in terms of the play of the defensive line. We got some guys that we brought back, Ian Scott, Alfonso Boone, we kind of got into what we did. A few guys got healthier in terms of Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire and Travis Johnson, and then our young guys that we counted on to do some good things, did some really nice things. We miss O.G. (Ogemdi Nwagbuo) who played really well for us up until he had to go on I.R. But I think our young guys have really stepped up and played well. I just think it's the continuity and the way the D-line has played the last eight, nine, 10 weeks."

Did you get to know Rex Ryan at all during your playing days?
"Yes. Yes. He was one of those young guys that used to come around because his dad was the coach and I got to know Rex and visit with him on occasion when I'd see him at the different functions and events."

Where do you rank Buddy Ryan in terms of influence?
"Oh, wow. I think just having been around a guy like Buddy Ryan for a couple of years and got a chance to get to know his philosophy on things was really impressive and it's left an imprint on me in terms of the way I approach things."

What is it that makes the Jets' defense so successful and why don't more teams play it?
"The big thing is it's a philosophy thing, first and foremost. I think it's what you've got to believe in and you also have got to be willing to take those kind of risks. It is a high-risk, high-reward defense. I know when Buddy used to do it, he used to always believe in us and that was one of the big things too. When you have guys that eventually are going to be Hall of Famers like we did, it makes it a little bit easier too."

Do you feel like you and Norv Turner complement each other?
"I think so. I mean, you know, I take my lead from Coach (Turner), what he wants us to do on our side of the ball. But I really do. I love how consistent Coach is and even-keeled. It's been like that for the three years I've been here and the one thing Coach has always been is even-keeled, whether we were 2-3 or 3-5 at one point. He never waivers and I think that's important, is that the head coach under pressure keeps his composure and I think that's outstanding."

What did change that made the defense better as the year went on?
"As I said earlier, I think it was the consistent play of the defensive line. But we did a couple things schematically a little different as well from where we first started the season out because we had to suit the guys that were playing for us and the guys adapted very well."

Some offensive play callers speak about getting into a zone calling offensive plays. Do you ever get into one calling defensive plays?
"I think sometimes you can, I really do. But you've got to also call it by the flow of the game as well. You just can't pull things out of the air. I think you've got to try and match to what the situation is as well."

Does Rex have a lot of Buddy in him?
"I do. I think he does. I do think he does and that's a compliment because his dad was a heck of a football coach who I really enjoyed playing for, and just watching him, and his brother as well, Rob, they share the same type of personality."

How much do you think rest will help Shawne Merriman?
"I think the rest has been good. This is probably the first time he's done two days in a row of practice so that's been exciting for us as a defensive staff. As you game-plan, there's not that uncertainty as to whether or not he'll be out there or how long he's going to be there, so I'm pretty excited about his opportunity to be on the field."

What's your role in game-planning for Rex's defense?
"Well, that's coach's side. Defensively, we stick to what we do. As far as what our offense is going to do, that was up to coach."

But do you look at film?
"I've looked at film on him, but no. No."

You played in their defensive scheme. Would you consider it high-stress or high-fun?
"It's a lot of fun. It is. I think that's one of the things that, when people talk about what has helped us defensively is our guys are having a lot of fun as well. I think that's important. If you put your guys in position to have fun and enjoy themselves out there, it becomes a good thing. Heck, winning is fun. I think that's a big part of it as well too."

Why does it seem like defensive guys have more fun?
"Oh, I don't know. I think there's a few more personalities on the defensive side I guess."

What is it that you see in Rex that is like Buddy?
"Everything. I mean literally a chip off the old block. And as I said, that to me is a huge compliment because again Buddy was a tremendous coach and somebody I enjoyed really playing for."

What ways do you think Shawne Merriman's foot was hindering him?
"Oh, that's beyond me in terms of what the injury was."

What do you expect the Jets to do with Mark Sanchez?
"What he does is pretty big and I think that they're going to continue to do what they've done and that's try and run the football and then use their different type of passing game that they have whether it be play action or drop back. He's been an integral part of the success they've had and we look forward to it continuing that way."

Is there anything about the running game that makes it different from other teams'?
"Their commitment to it. They're committed to it and that's impressive. That's their formula. I think the way they run the ball reflects Coach Ryan's personality and that's physical and hard-nosed."

Where some teams might go away from it...
"Right. Exactly. They stick with it and I really think that's a reflection of his personality."

How much of the Wildcat do you expect to be thrown at you? Have you taken a look back at the Miami tapes?
"Well, they pretty much threw it against everybody. They used it against Cincinnati and had a little bit of success. So we spent some time watching it obviously because it's what they do offensively. So we've got an opportunity to work on certain things and certain aspects of what they do in terms of our preparation."

What's Shonn Greene's running style?
"He's a good complement to Thomas Jones. I had the fortune of being with Thomas in Chicago for a few years and really, really enjoyed watching him and having him as a guy on our team. He's an aggressive-style football player and I think the young rookie Greene is a good complement to him. I think he's a little more of a slasher as opposed to Thomas who's a downhill, physical runner. So I think they're a good complement to each other."

T Marcus McNeill

On being able to achieve cohesiveness at the offensive line:
"I think our level of play has been so hot throughout the year, regardless if it's been our backups stepping up into a starting position or our starter coming back into his role. The continuity has been there all year. Even the backups have stepped up and been here for a while so we've kind of been used to playing with him."

What does it mean to you to face a blitz-happy team?
"You've got to prepare for it. All week we've been out there early before practice trying to pick up all their different coverages and stuff. But the biggest thing is they're going to do a lot of different things. You can't really pick up on just one thing and then do something in the blitzes differently, one time here, one time there. I think we're going to pick it up pretty well. That's one of the best things we've been doing all year is picking up the blitz. I think that's been a big credit to Philip (Rivers) having the great year he's having."

Why is this team so good at picking up the blitz?
"Honestly, I think our coaching staff is so smart. Our center, our quarterback Philip ... they are here constantly. Philip's the first one in everyday; the last one to leave. He's picking up a lot of those blitz coverages and he knows where the blitz and the pressure is coming from. It's easy for him to manipulate the line the way he needs to so he can make that big throw down the field."

Have you seen a comparable defense this year?
"I think we've seen a defense like this. They're very similar to Baltimore who gave us a little trouble early on in the year. But I think we've got a good feel for what they're doing right now. We should be able to pick up a lot of blitz packages their defense has for us."

Can you tell physically that it's been 11 days since your last game? Are you that much fresher?
"Definitely that much fresher. A lot of times you get up on that Wednesday or Thursday and your body's still sore from the Sunday night game but we actually had a week off so the body feels fresh. I actually feel like my body's in Week One or Week Two right now as far as freshness. So that's going to be good for us to make a push throughout these playoffs."

Is it hard to pick up where you left off with momentum?
"I think we've been practicing at such a high level. Even on our off week our practices were very fast, very focused and I think that's what we're doing. We're men on a mission right now and our mission is to keep pushing through the playoffs."

Norv said yesterday's practice started to get a little intense:
"Yeah, we got to put the pads back on yesterday. So whenever you get a chance to hit as a football player, it's going to get a little rowdy out there. That's what we love to do. We love to compete whether it's in practice or on the football field. That's what we got out there and did: banged around a little bit, talked a little noise and really just getting ready for this Sunday."

How do you balance practicing at game speed without getting banged up?
"It's no change. Players have got to play smart. I think that's what we do. We know how to play fast. We know how to play smart. It's the speed mentality for us, being there where you need to be, being in the pits, making sure receivers are running their right routes and things like that. You make sure you're going into game tempo, but you don't do quite the finishing that you would do in the game. That's the fun part. Sometimes you get to throw somebody on their back during the game or a receiver actually gets to take off on that nine-route and catch a touchdown. That's we live for on the football field and that's what we play for on Sundays and we're good at it."

How do you balance getting amped up and remaining mentally calm to take care of your assignments?
"I think we we've been pretty good in being meticulous in what we did this year. Our schedule has been pretty much the same throughout the whole year. It kept us in a rhythm practice-wise. Even though we had the week off last week, we still kept the same schedules. It was a working week for us, a working bye week. It kept us in the same mentality. Of course you're going to get anxious when you're not playing. Of course I had the same feelings last Sunday as I do every other Sunday. I just think your body and mind is just mentally in tune to playing that way for 16 weeks. Taking a week off got us a little anxious, but I think we handled it well, took out all our anxiety out on the football field in practice and had great practices so far."

How important has it been to keep the schedule the same even though stakes are a little higher?
"I think we're playing good ball. The way we're playing, keeping that mental focus but playing with confidence, a certain level of swagger and also having fun out there. Whenever you see us out there having fun it's going to be a lot of trouble."

Are the playoffs different?
"The playoffs are always different. Right now I feel like we're practicing at game tempo, right now. That's big because I don't think anybody else practices as hard as we do. I love practicing as hard as we do."

Is there an argument for playing a game instead of having a bye in the first round of the playoffs?
"There's always an argument about everything. Some people want to go with it, roll, keep on the momentum and things like that. Other teams need to rest. We've had problems in the past with injuries and stuff like that so I think we did a good job of letting our players rest so we can make that push in the playoffs that we haven't been able to do in the past."

Does going against number 97 in practice get you extra motivated?
"They (equipment department) keep the numbers up from the Jets and all the teams we play throughout the whole year. Calvin Pace is a great outside linebacker so I'm going to have my hands full this weekend, but should be able to handle it."

DT Ian Scott

When you're preparing to face a team that's as committed to the run as the Jets, does that get a defensive lineman going a little bit?
"I get up for every game the same. It's a playoff game. The only difference is we know ahead of time what their plan is going to be. It's not going to be a surprise on Sunday when they come out and try to run the ball because that's what they do well and that's what they're committed to doing. There's not a lot of uncertainty. You pretty much know what you're going to get from them and it comes down to are you going to be able to stop them or not."

What makes their rushing offense so good?
"Everybody works together and they don't get frustrated with it. Part of it is their defense plays well so they haven't had to play with many big deficits. That gives them time to stay committed to the run even if they're not getting a lot early. They've been able to take advantage of opportunities when they get them. Not everybody is going to be where they're supposed to be on every play. They're committed to keeping at it until they make the big plays. They try to maintain possession and play good defense. If you don't get after them early, it could be trouble."

How have you seen your run defense get better throughout the season?
"It's everybody working together. Obviously that's something that we needed to focus on. If you allow teams to be two-dimensional, it's hard to stop. We've tried to be disciplined, everybody fitting where they're supposed to. We're making sure we tackle well and get everybody to the football. I think all those things are going to be very important for us this week if we want to win."

###