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." 

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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."

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Head Coach Norv Turner

On playing at home and not having to deal with inclement weather:
"Obviously our emphasis is this weekend and that's one of the reasons you push like we did in December to get the bye and have a game at home."

Is Darrelle Revis the best shutdown cornerback in football?
"I don't like the term 'shutdown corner' because I think that's hard to find and it gets thrown around pretty loosely, but I think I might use that term with Revis. He's awfully impressive on tape. He just goes after it and he plays every play like this game is meant to be played and he is very impressive."

What did you see in their games against common opponents like Tennessee, Miami and Cincinnati?
"You try to go through all of them and you've got to be careful not to watch too much. They do a great job of having a specific game plan for each team they play and they do a great job of going out and trying to take away the things you do best. They're a very versatile running team. You're not first in the league in rush offense unless you have varied schemes and they present you a lot of problems in terms of the way they attack you."

Your common opponents aren't like you though, so can you take a lot from that?
"The common opponents, the teams aren't the same and I'm sure they spent more time at looking at teams that are similar to their defense in terms of how we are going to attack them."

How much better are you against the run now than you were early in the year?
"Just statistically you see that over the last 10 games it's a total difference. I think we're in the middle of the pack, 11th or 14th or whatever it is. I'm not a big stat guy because each game is different. Early we were either injured or new. That's not a good combination. Those guys, I just give them a great deal of credit, the defensive line for doing what they've done."

What does it mean for your team to be as healthy as it is at this stage in the season?
"That's what we talked about, having a bye. Last Wednesday if we did this, there would have been a host of names on the injury report and there would be some guys that I was concerned if they could play or not. I think we're going to be as healthy as you could ask to be going into a game at this point."

As a team that gets so many big plays out of the passing game, how do you game plan for a team that has only given up eight passing touchdowns this season?
"We need to run the football. That's something that's been important to us through this winning streak we've had. I'll go back to the same deal, statistically we're in the top 15 in the run over the last 11 games, where obviously we rank not where I'd like to mention (the entire season). We need to have balance and we need to take shots. That's what we do. Our guys, they're going to go after the football and the Jets are awfully good in the secondary so it's going to be a great contest."

How do you think Vincent Jackson matches up with Revis?
"That's really a hard one to tell and that's really why you go play. They do such a good job with their coverages and changing it up. I don't think they give you great looks at just going out there and knowing...it's not like you get five, six, eight shots at him one-on-one in a row. They do a great job of disguising and mixing their coverages and they use him extremely well."

What are the trademarks of Rex Ryan's defenses?
"They're obviously very well coached. They zero in on the things you do best and try to take those things away and make you go to things maybe you're not as good at. They're very aggressive and always have been."

People talk a lot about New York's blitz. How do you feel about the way your team has handled pressure?
"We've gotten a lot better. That's one of the keys to what we've been able to do. Every week is a new challenge. This is a different style but I think Philip sees things awfully quick and he does get the ball out. That's one of the things, obviously, when you're confident and you're good, you look forward to the blitz because it creates not only one-on-one situations but also in the zone blitz, it creates seams where you can make big plays."

Are they like Baltimore defensively?
"They're like Baltimore in terms of the scheme because that's the defense Rex put in in Baltimore and that's the defense they run with the Jets. Where Baltimore was young and really inexperienced in the secondary, this team is the best secondary we will have played this year."

What are your impressions of Mark Sanchez?
"I'm very impressed. I know he went through a (tough) stretch in the middle. Games do that to you. You get behind. Different teams you play, you're trying to do some different things but they've really focused in on what he does best, what their offense is about and he complements that extremely well. The one thing about playing quarterback when you run the ball that well, you get good looks in terms of one-on-one. You don't have to read coverages quite as much. With the big play action, you get guys singled up so it takes some of the decision making out of it. He throws the ball extremely accurately and he throws the deep ball real well."

Are you seeing teams blitz you less and less because Philip is so proficient at handling it?
"There's no question. We've made big plays against the blitz and that will slow it down. Then you see some teams that they're going to blitz no matter what. They're going to blitz in certain situations no matter what. The Jets tend to be in situations that kind of team."

How important is it to have LaDainian Tomlinson healthy going into the postseason?
"It's great. It was hard for him last year because he was really coming on in December and he got hurt in that last regular season game and that was really difficult for him to not be able to play. I know this is something that he's really looked forward to. It's really important to him."

How much do you worry about momentum when the Jets had a big win last week and you were resting?
"Momentum is a big part of this game. I think the way we practiced today, our guys haven't lost that edge, haven't lost that momentum. The Jets have great momentum. I don't care what the circumstance of the teams that are left in this thing, everyone who is going into these playoffs this week is playing a really good football team. Jimmy Johnson always said, 'You've got two good teams playing. It's the team that goes out and plays the best.' That's what's going to happen this weekend. That momentum might be a factor for a few series or in the first quarter, but then it's going to come down to who comes out and performs the best."

What was your reasoning in doing what you did during the bye week with practice?
"It was three days and we kept our schedule. That's what you're talking about in terms of losing momentum or losing that rhythm. We had a lightened-down game week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. The only difference was we didn't play a game on Sunday. I think it helped and I think we didn't get too far away from what we're trying to get done."

Is it even more important to pressure a rookie quarterback and try to rattle him?
"It would be great to get pressure on their quarterback but the hardest thing is that's what they've done over this last stretch where they've made this comeback. They're running the ball as well and they're deciding when they want to throw. You've got to stop the run. If we can get them into some long situations, get into some two-minute situations, those things where you know it's pass, then we'll have a good chance of trying to get some pressure on him."

Are you happy with how your team has practiced?
"I really like the way our guys practiced today."

How are the Jets running the ball well against teams that overload the box?
"They've got good backs, they've got a good scheme. They mix it up in terms of mixing in a little bit of the Wildcat. They're really well coached. They have an outstanding offensive line and they've got a good play-action pass game so you've still got to respect that."

QB Philip Rivers

How does it feel to have a skinny injury report today?
"I think that can show you the value of a bye, from a physical standpoint. It allows you to get some guys healthy that have been nicked up and it allows you to get some guys who have played your normal 16-game season some bumps and bruises to get an extra six or seven days of not having that game in between. We feel healthy and fresh and now we're heading towards being as prepared as we can be to go out and play our best."

What do you think about the New York blitz and your ability to handle it?
"It's as good of a blitz package and scheme as we've faced this year. We faced a heavy dose of it when we played Baltimore this year; Philadelphia presented some challenges. This group does a lot of different things that we have to be prepared for. We feel like we will have a plan and scheme together to handle all of those things. You're playing against a good team and that's the fun thing about the playoffs; it's a lot of good verses good out there and whoever can execute the best will be on top."

Is there a difference with them that maybe they have a little better secondary then you've faced?
"They have a lot solid secondary. (Darrelle) Revis gets a lot of attention, as he should. He's right up there with the top corners, if not the best, in the league. It's a group effort. They collectively know their scheme and play it very well. The one thing about their secondary is they play the ball very well. That's one thing that stands out, that they're able to break on balls and play the ball very well; it's an attacking. Everything that you read and see and what the statistics say, that's what the film shows. We'll have our work cut out for us, but we feel like we'll be up for the task."

How will you plan for the Darrelle Revis against Vincent Jackson matchup? What will Revis' impact be?
"Well certainly, when you've got a great player on the other side they have an impact and can affect things you may want to do. But this game isn't between Vincent and Revis. There are 10 other guys on both sides of the ball and a lot of things have to happen to go get the ball in the end zone and a lot of things for them to stop us. That will be certainly a matchup worth paying attention to; I know you guys will pay a lot of attention to it. We'll be focused on finding ways to get the ball into the end zone."

In the playoffs, are you more motivated by the chance at winning a championship or the fear of losing?
"We're trying to get one step closer to winning a championship. I think the hating to lose mentality and approach is what keeps that from happening. We find ourselves here in the final eight; it's been three or four years in a row now. There's not fun prize for getting this far. We know that. We're going to fight like crazy to get to the final four. That's all we're worried about. The one game approach and mentality I've stood up here and talked about every Monday and bored you all with, we're going to take that same one. It's worked the past 11 and we need it to work this one, and then we'll worry about the next one later."

How much do you enjoy the challenge of going up against the number one defense in the league?
"It's playoff football. Usually the best defenses and teams that can put the ball in the end zone offensively are who's left. We're facing a heck of a team; number one rush offense; number one defense in the league. We like to think we're pretty good in some categories as well. It's going to be a great matchup. It's what you expect. Nothing is easy at this point in the year. Whoever can put the best four quarters together will move on."

Everyone is talking about the Vincent Jackson/Darrelle Revis matchup. How important is it to incorporate Antonio Gates, LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles?
"From sideline to sideline, every guy that you can have up at the skill positions has touched the ball and have made plays for us. It's been a group effort to throw the football and score points and everything we've done and it will need to be that again to have success on Sunday."

Can you see in practice a difference in some of the guys with going 10 or 11 days between games?
"You can tell a freshness is there. When you don't have to play four quarters on Sunday and you get a few days off mixed in with some very good days of practice like we've been able to have, there's not doubt that there's a freshness and a little bounce to you that you can tell you've had that week off. That only gets you so far. That gets you to kickoff then you've got to go play."

Are there some guys that seem much different today than maybe a week ago because of the rest?
"Not necessarily, not worth singling out. I know individuals could tell you they feel better and why they feel better. There's guys that didn't play in that last game because they were nicked up; guys that haven't been able to practice on Wednesday and Thursday in the past that were able to practice. I think that's evident. To single out who stood out today, I thought it was a really solid Wednesday practice. I like where we are preparation-wise."

It seems on paper that the Jets are a run at you kind of team, while the Chargers incorporate many players. Do you think that gives you some sort of advantage?
"Teams do what they do well. Obviously the Jets' approach, it is a total approach; it's an offensive and defensive team approach, and their approach has worked for them to get them this far. Our approach has worked for us. Two different styles in a sense, but two different make ups of different teams. You do what's best for your 45 guys that you dress out. They'll do that on Sunday, as we will, and we'll see what plays out."

In 2006 and 2007 you played the Ravens' Rex Ryan defense. How much is that experience, knowing those principles, going to help you?
"Well, again, that's I don't know how many plays we ran in that game, that's 60 plays of experience against that defense. As we change plays and thoughts offensively in the past three, four years, they've done the same defensively. And you also do what's best for your current defense or your current offense. That's what they're doing with their personnel. There are some similarities, but again, there are tweaks and things evolve over a three, four year period on both sides of the ball."

OLB Shaun Phillips

Is there more premium on a pass rush with a rookie quarterback?
"It's always a premium on any quarterback, it doesn't matter if it's a 10-year veteran or a rookie quarterback. The quarterback is a guy that has the ball in his hands the most, so who better to get pressure on."

How much better are you against the run than you were earlier in the season?
"We've learned that we have to stop the run collectively. It's a collective thing and all 11 guys have one goal, and that's to stop the run. I don't think we can take the stats from this season because it's now the playoffs and every stat get thrown out the window which is good for us because now we get a chance to have our run defense where we want it. So we're looking forward to the challenge. Obviously they are a good football team and a very dominant run team but who knows, they may come out and pass the ball. But what we're doing is concentrating on what the San Diego Chargers do best and executing to the best of our abilities."

Because there were so many guys in and out on the defensive line, was there any point in which you got a sense that it was going to be alright?
"I've been like that since day one by the way guys prepare in practice. Everyone handles their business in practice and really prepares well to win ball games. So no matter who's in there I believe they can get the job done. Unfortunately that's not always the case but we have been on a nice win streak and the guys have been doing a good job in preparing and executing in the games."

What motivates you more in the playoffs; winning a championship or the fear of losing?
"I hate losing more than anything. I won't even let my kids beat me in anything. We're going with the mindset in the game that we won't lose. We are going to play to win in everything we do. The feeling of losing hurts so much that it makes you work that much harder. And for me, that's my main focus."

Rex Ryan said that San Diego is due for a bad game, how do you overcome that?
"I personally believe that we have had bad games but we've been able to overcome adversity. There are games like the Giants game where we had to claw and fight and come back and win that game. Again, we overcame adversity. We can't think about what Coach Ryan has to say. We have to think about what we do. We are going to continue with the mindset that it's about what the Chargers do and how we execute our game plan."

There's all this talk about how good the Jets defense is, what about the Chargers defense? Do you guys feel slighted a bit?
"Not at all. Again, we have zero stats right now because the regular season is over. Yes they have a great defense and yes they fly around and they do some things well. But we do some things well also. All the talk will be determined come this Sunday. That's what we are looking forward to Sunday as I'm sure they are also."

Does the flyover before the game do anything for you?
"Honestly it pumps me up no matter what stadium I'm in. Not only that those guys are fighting over there to give us our freedom to play this game, but just the energy and the atmosphere that it sets, pumps adrenaline through all of us. It gets me pumped and fired up."

How long did it take the defense to adjust without Jamal Williams?
"Since day one. We had to because we had no choice. It was the same situation with Shawne Merriman last year. This year we also lost a great defensive player in Jamal but we have the mindset that it's not about one person, it's about 11. 11 of us have to be on the same page in order to be successful. We are only as good as our weakest link and we know that this is a team sport. That's why this game is such a great sport; everyone has to do their job in order to win."

How does it feel to be healthy going to the playoffs?
"It's incredible. You've been in here long enough to see that we haven't been able to be healthy going into the playoffs and I think that in any sport, whoever is healthiest at the end of the day usually pulls together and ends up winning a championship. When your key players are out, you do suffer a bit. But it takes a strong guy and a good team to step up and fill that void of that player"

Have any of the injuries made the guys on the team closer to one another?
"Of course. Every day we become closer and more of a family. The core of guys who've been here for the last six or seven year like Quentin Jammer, Philip Rivers, myself, and L.T. We've been here for the majority of times so we get closer every day. One thing that's good about our teams is that everyone hangs out with everyone. Whether if it's on the field, or in the locker room, or off the field. I can play dominoes with Philip, Philip goes and plays dominoes with L.T. and he plays with somebody else. We are really all close and that carries over to the games on Sunday. When it's crunch time, we know that somebody will step up and make a play. We all have trust that everyone will do their job and do it to the best of their abilities."

How deep is your defense? Do you feel that it's pretty complete?
"It doesn't what 10 other guys are beside me out there because I know that they will get the job done. It really doesn't matter. Whether it's 11 healthy guys or 11 replacements, we have to go out there and we have execute. It's not the individual player; it's the group of players together collectively. It's been doing it all year, we've been doing it collectively. Everyone brings up that we're giving up four yards a game against the run. Yes, we are giving up four yards a game, but if we have to give up four yards a game against the run and win a ball game, then we'll do that every time. Obviously it's been working for us and obviously it's been a winning formula, so we're going to continue to get out there and execute our game plan and keep playing hard. They're a good football team coming in here and they're playing for a lot, just like we're playing for a lot. Everything will be answered on Sunday."

How do you compare the Jets' wildcat to others that you have seen?
"As you guys know, they run the wildcat four or six times a game. Of course we're going to prepare for it, we have to prepare for it. Hopefully those four of six plays a game don't come down to winning the ball game for us. I don't think it's going to come down to winning the ball game for them as well. It's just a part of the offense so we have to study for it. Is it going to give us problems? It gives us problems if we let it give us problems. We're going to prepare for it just like we prepare for everything else. We've seen the wildcat just as much as we've seen the four verticals. We continue to prepare and worry about what we do. We can't worry about what they do. They may not even show Wildcat."

Can you describe the physical difference between days between games when you have to play every week?
"I personally feel a lot fresher because I've been coming off injuries. I've been banged up for the last two months. For me it was great to get that break. When you're on a pro football team it really doesn't matter if you have two weeks off, three weeks off, four days off. You've seen us come out and play with three days' rest and we came out and played great. You've seen us come out and play great after a bye week. It doesn't matter. None of that matters. The only thing that matters is what happens on Sunday and all the stuff that happens before, you can throw that out the door. You can have a terrible week at practice and come out and play great, and you can have a great week at practice and come out and play terrible."

Do you think there are things you are capable of doing physically because you've had this rest?
"Run. Me personally I've been hampered for the last couple of months and it just feels so good to get out there and run. I'm running up and down on special teams, I'm running on defense and for me, I'm just happy to be able to run like I used to be. That's a part of my game, being able to run. So now that I can do that, I'm extremely happy and excited and looking forward to playing Sunday at 100 percent."

RB LaDainian Tomlinson

On the "Electric Glide" video:
"The idea was to get my fans a different side of me that they don't get to see. A lot of times they get to see the guy on the football field and the real focused type of guy. The side that they don't see is the fun, dance around, kind of goofy type of person that I am. Only my family and friends get to see that side of me. So the idea was to give the fans a different side of me. And I know that everybody is not going to like it but I just wanted to kind of do something different. It was fun doing it."

On Junior Seau's latest retirement:
"Well, I hope this is it. (Laughs). No, but he was great, for me. He was what I needed to see a model of how to go about in this league, how to play football, how to prepare to play football, how to take care of your body. I had a guy that I could look at every day and see it. He was that guy for me. Whenever I needed something I could go to him. Obviously, I owe a lot to him because of the work ethic I had coming into the league because I saw him. Playing against him was just like practicing against him. The things he did in practice was the same things he did in the game. I remember the first time we played against him, the Miami game, the Monday night, it was like we were out there during practice. The same stuff he did in the game, he did it in practice. We'd seen it millions of times. So he's had a great career and he has nothing to be ashamed about. I know he wanted to get a Super Bowl Championship but his career speaks for itself."

What's it like for you to go into the playoffs healthy?
"I'm excited about it. It's been a while since that divisional game when we lost to the Patriots, the last time I was actually healthy in the playoffs. So, I'm excited about it. I get to go out and turn it loose and whatever happens, happens."

The team has won some big games during this win streak. How do these games help the team?
"I think it helps us. I think it definitely helps us because we've seen every situation that you could possibly see throughout the course of the game and also preparing for them big games. We've got guys that kind of got that 'Get your hard hat and go to work,' we've got that mindset. We understand what we're up against. I think our approach is what makes us good, the way we go about doing things. The experience is all good, but our approach to the game is what makes us good."

During the interview with CBS you said the Jets have the formula for winning. What's the Chargers' recipe for winning games?
"I think you've seen it all year. We win games in different aspects. In different ways we can win games. Obviously everyone knows about the explosive offense, but how about the goal line defenses at times, where our defense has stepped up? How about our special teams when we would return kicks and great field position that our special teams has given us, and the way we would pin people deep and made them drive the field? So we've won games in different areas, all aspects. I think you've seen the way we win games."

What will be the key in this game?
"I think obviously the key is going to be us not turning it over, giving them a short field. I think we definitely want to make sure we continue just to do the things we've been doing and not get out of character, not try to do anything special, just do what we've been doing. Obviously, our defense is going to play great, but we want to give them a long field to have to drive the ball."

Does the last playoff meeting with the Jets sit in your mind at all?
"It's there because we lost the game. It was a game that was close and they played good defense back then. They're still playing good defense, so we expect it to be the same type of game, depending on, the weather may be the same kind of weather we had that year. We're going to have to be ready to play."

After so many good games for this team, are you worried about a bad one? How do you prevent this from happening?
"We've just got to focus on what we do, don't worry about the things that are talked about, but focus on the things that we do well in our game plan and executing our game plan. If we do that we'll be okay. "

DE Luis Castillo

How much better is this defense against the run now than at the start of the season?
"We're significantly better. It doesn't always translate in numbers. I think a lot of times it translates to not giving up the big play. There's a significant difference obviously, because we went through so much turnover. We lost our All-Pro in Jamal Williams early on. We lost a couple of guys through the year and we lost another guy in training camp. If you asked me at the start of training camp, who the guys that we were going to kind of ride with throughout the year, I would have never said the names because most of them weren't here. You have to give those guys so much credit because it's so hard to come into this league, come on a team midway through a season, not only pick up a defense but go out on the field and be successful and not make the big mental mistakes that give up the 20 or 30 yard runs. There's a big change there and part of it is just having that physical mentality to go out there and play knowing the guy next to you isn't going to make a mistake."

Is going against the league's number-one rushing team an exciting challenge for you?
"It's always a challenge. This isn't the first time this year we've had that type of challenge. You look at the teams we've played. You can name some teams early on where we didn't do as good as we needed to. But we've played against Chris Johnson and Cedric Benson and (Ray) Rice. We've faced the challenges before. We've faced big physical offensive lines. This is part of the process. This is part of what you do when you're in this league. Every time you step out there, there's a different challenge. This is going to a big one and a lot of it lays on us. You know, the good thing is, we're three guys up there, we've got four excellent linebackers who are going to give us outstanding support and are going to make our jobs a lot easier. Having Shawne Merriman back, sometimes people start thinking about the defensive line and what we do, but he's such a big part of the run defense. His physical nature and physical presence is only going to make us that much better."

Can you rattle a rookie quarterback by getting pressure on him early?
"You know you talk about a rookie quarterback, but by this point in the season, he's going into year two. He's got sixteen games under his belt and he's done an outstanding job. He had a tough pass through the middle of the year. They've done a great job of building an offense around him, letting that great running attack, and that big strong physical offensive line protect him and move the chains and he's managed the game extremely well. Not only that, but he's been able to go into play-action after pounding the ball and make the big plays. When you have a quarterback that can do that, it presents a challenge all its own. It's going to be incredibly important, not only for us to get pressure, but to stop the run and put the onus on him to beat us."

How do you prepare for the Jets' physical offensive line?
"The only thing you can do is what you always do and that's come out here and work, prepare mentally and physically. We had a chance to go in shoulder pads today, which is not usual for us on a Wednesday. But after the week off, I think it was a good change of rhythm for us, getting back to that physical nature. Like I said, we've got some new defensive linemen in throughout the course of the year who have been a great help. We've got some big bodies and look, we're pretty confident about our abilities and what we can do. Like I said, it's not just us, we've also got a big, physical group of linebackers and it's going to be a great challenge and a great game."

Do you get amped up for a physical game like that?
"You get amped up whenever you play, but obviously if you're playing Peyton Manning and you know, or Tom Brady, you know you're going to come off the ball, you're going to have a great pass rush move, and the ball is still going to be gone and you're not going to get there, it takes you out of the game a little bit. But when you have a team that's going to run the ball, I think they ran the ball, what? Thirty-eight times in the last playoff game? It's a challenge. It's a challenge that we're excited about."

How much did it help to get out here three days last week and kind of maintain an edge?
"Part of it was we did work last week, and obviously you don't have the physical and kind of the thing that you do going into a regular game, but we got a chance to get better at some things that during the course of the year you move away from. During the year the focus is always who you're playing, what their scheme is, what new plays are we putting in kind of to stop what they do. But when you get a bye-week, it's a chance to work on your own mistakes. We got a lot more individual time. We got a chance to work on footwork, hand placement, some of the little things that during the year you cut back on practice time a little bit to keep the body fresh and you move away from that stuff. But it's such a big help where late in the year you can go back to the basics and kind of refine that a little bit and it gets you ready to go a little bit."

Both AFC teams won on the road last week. Can you talk about the advantage of playing at home in the playoffs?
"We've done it both over the years. We had a huge win here against the Colts last year. We've had some playoff wins away as well, but it obviously, to have the ability to be at home, to be able to prepare and know you don't have to travel. Not only that, but you guys saw how our fans were the last couple of home games, against Cincinnati where they had I think three false starts late in the game, as loud as they've been, as loud as they were in the playoff game last year where I think that's the most animated I've ever seen our fans and our crowd. We're excited about that. You work so hard during the regular season to earn the ability to have that home game. We're here. Now it's a matter of taking advantage of that and going and making the fans a little bit more excited, giving them some big plays to cheer about and have a little fun."

Do the flyovers do anything for you as a player?
"We notice because we haven't had it every home game this year, for whatever the reason, but we notice. And look, as much as it takes to go out there and fight through the injuries and the pain and battle the 16 weeks of the physicality that it takes to be in this league, when you step on that field it's still tough to get going, it's still tough to get your body to that place and every little bit helps. Like I said, the fans are going to be a big part of that, but when you have the flyovers, when you have somebody great singing the National Anthem, that stuff gives you goose bumps. It gets you ready to play. It gets you excited. As cheesy as it sounds, it's part of what gets us going and what we're used to."

How does Jamal Williams going out change your schematics?
"You can't replace a Jamal Williams, one of the best nose tackles I think to play the game. You can't really duplicate what he does for your defense. We've always said throughout the years he's the core of our defense. Well, he's not here now. We've had a guy in Ian Scott who's done an amazing job, an outstanding job in terms of handling not only the load of the amount of plays of the physical nature of that position where you have a double team basically every play. But you don't just have to take the double team. That's what Jamal did. Jamal had an ability to take a double team, push it backfield, split a double team and make it so you dedicate two guys to him, you free up other guys along the line and you still weren't sure you were going to block him or at least keep him on the line of scrimmage. You can't replace him. But like I said, you still have to give so much credit to a guy like Ian Scott, to a guy like Alfonzo Boone as well as Travis Johnson, Vaughn Martin. We've had so many new faces trying to replace the job that one guy did. People don't notice but Jamal was the guy that took 45, 50 plays a game."

How does that affect you on the end?
"Maybe, maybe there's a back hitting the hole a little bit quicker because Jamal doesn't have him knocked back three or four yards or he's not making them cut back. So it puts an emphasis on all of us I think, whether it's defensive line, outside linebackers, inside linebackers to come down hill and take that double team off the nose tackle now where as before Jamal might have been able to stand both of those guys up and still split it. So it puts extra pressure on all of us but I think we've all responded well."

Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan

Ron Rivera speaks highly of your family. Do you have much of a personal relationship with him?
"Well, there are guys that you run into and things like that, on the road and stuff, and I have a great deal of respect... He might be just as good a person too as he is a coach, just really a great, great, humble person."

Do you see your father's influence in Rivera's defense?
"Yeah. I see they like to get after it. It looks like they play with a lot of passion, a lot of fire. I'm sure they think highly of Ron because he is a great coach and he does have his guys playing that way. I know he's going to go into this game talking about, because that's what he did when we played them when I was in Baltimore and he was in Chicago, about having the best defense on the field this week. So we're going to find out who's got the best one. Without question, his guys really care for him and you can see that in the way they play."

How's that?
"I just think that they play with a great deal of passion, they get to the football and the trademark that he's always had. They're always trying to strip the ball out of your hands and things like that."

On the importance of either team maintaining ball-control and avoiding errors:
"They definitely do a great job of protecting the football and I think that's the winning formula. I think, you look at it, they're 8-0 when they win the turnover battle. I think we're 9-0 when we win the turnover battle. Obviously protecting the football is going to be a critical thing for both teams."

How have you been able to be so disruptive and cause those mistakes?
"We have a lot of outstanding players. Our guys have a good grasp on what we're trying to accomplish defensively. I think a lot of credit goes to our coaches, led by Mike Pettine our defensive coordinator, and we have Bob Sutton, a lot of terrific assistant coaches, Dennis Thurman. Those guys do a great job. They really buy into our system and they're really starting to understand it. Right now this is the New York Jets defense; this is not the Baltimore Ravens defense, this is not my defense; this is our defense. The New York Jets. There's ownership; theses guys have ownership in it."

Did you have any reticence on starting things off with a rookie quarterback?
"Obviously when you got into the league you want to have a guy that's already proven that he can do it. We had a quarterback competition; we let Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez really compete for the job. We felt that Mark was the guy that came out and gave us the best opportunity to win, regardless of the fact that he is a rookie. In an ideal situation for a coach coming in, you prefer that veteran presence, that veteran quarterback, the proven commodity, but we're happy with who we have right now, with Mark in place. We have a great football team, a great nucleus of guys. I think offensively we wanted to have our team built on our offensive line, so we got a lot of our resources put there. We've got, in my opinion, the best offensive line coach in the league in Bill Callahan, running that group and we have an outstanding line. I always think that if you can run the football and protect the quarterback, you've got a chance. And that's the way we've built our offense. So, we might not have the experience at quarterback, but we've got experience across that line for sure."

Was there a discernible point where Mark Sanchez won the team over?
"I definitely think in preseason. You could see where the confidence that the team had in him. Obviously he's a guy with an enormous amount of talent. He can make all the throws, he's smart, he's tough, he's competitive, similar traits to Phillip Rivers. That's what I wanted, the coach's kid-type mentality, loves the game, passionate about the game. I think that's who he is. I think that's what won them over, more than anything else."

Three teams in the last two seasons have made the playoffs with a rookie quarterback. Why is this becoming more common?
"I think kids coming out of college now are a little more prepared to the NFL game than they were. I think the passing attacks and things like that, the ability to read coverages is more prevalent now in the college game than it's ever been. I think that's what allows it to be more successful. Because you're exactly right, it used to take two or three years before a quarterback was really ready to play in this game, in this league."

Sanchez explained your coaching style as "blunt-force trauma." How has he reacted to this approach?
"Well there's no grey area. Players I think appreciate that. You're not wishy-washy. You're just, I'm myself. Now I'm the biggest Mark Sanchez fan of all time. I absolutely love this kid. When he makes a bonehead mistake or something, I'm going to let him know it. Again, I never stop believing in him. It's just something that we've got to get better at, we try to teach him. It's not a thing that I cuss him and all that kind of stuff, because that's not it. I want to teach him, and that's what it is. I think players appreciate that you're going to be yourself and you're going to tell them the way it is, what you feel is the way it is. That seems to work for me."

What do you recall about your job interview at the Chargers a few seasons back? Do you have any regrets?
"No, I'll tell you what, they made a great hire in Norv Turner, obviously. I was so excited to get the opportunity to interview. I don't think I was seen in that light as a head coaching candidate until San Diego put me on the map. AJ Smith and Dean Spanos, all those guys, they were just, it was fantastic, what an opportunity for me. I really believe and I thank AJ, cause I think he's guy that really put me on the map where people started to look at me maybe differently than they had done in the past."

What's the Super Bowl parade route again?
"(Laughs). I don't know, but I sure hope we find out."

Do you think that's a good thing or bad thing? Your offensive coordinator's father used to preach something different.
"I think the vision that we have for our football team is we only have one goal, and that's to win a Super Bowl. Anything less than that is going to be a disappointment for us. That's just how we go into it. It's not a slight on who we play or anything else. It's a belief that we have from top to bottom in our organization that this is why we're here. We've built some of the best facilities in the entire league to win a championship not to just be average. That's what we're trying to do here. We're going to go in... we know we're playing the San Diego Chargers, the hottest team in the league, they're coming off of 11 straight wins, playing at San Diego. I don't know what the experts say, we're definitely underdogs, stuff like that. Yet, we're going to go into that game and every game that we play, expecting to win. That's just the approach we take. We have a great deal of respect for San Diego. This is one of the elite teams that I've seen on tape, but that doesn't mean that I'm coming in there not expecting a win because we are."

There has been a lot of attention on your corners. Do Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd pose a new challenge level?
"Well, they're both big, explosive, talented guys, that's for sure. Darrelle Revis is the guy that shut down every body in this league, that has to offer, and he'll do the same again this week I believe, whoever he's matched up against. That's no slight to anybody. That's just the way it's been this season. He has had an unbelievable year. He accepts the challenge down after down. Now, is he going to give up a completion and all that? Of course. But, he's going to approach it like he's going down there to get his job done and we can do things with him that probably the rest of the league can't do, don't even think about doing with their top corners. It's unfortunate he never won the Defensive Player of the Year because I thought he was definitely a guy that earned that."

What is it about the way he plays his position?
"It's just, you know, it's all business. The thing that gets me is the courage he has. Most guys you're like, 'Okay, you're going to play, let's see, Andre Johnson.' Now, that's a big receiver. That's a big, talented receiver, probably the best in the league when you get down to it. Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, all that stuff, and this young man never flinches, not one bit. His response is if it's good for the team then it's good for him and I think that's what makes him a special guy."

How much of the 46 still exists in what you do today?
"I think the last couple weeks you've seen us play a bunch of it. So, it depends on each week, we'll play, it can go from five percent of your call to 40 percent, 30 percent. That's the great thing about it. The thing bothers your rules. It's not an odd defense, it's not an even defense, it kind of messes with your rules. So it's something that I always like to have going into every game plan and I know Ron Rivera will use some forms of the 46 as well."

We have little league tryouts here this weekend, do you want to drop the knucklehead by for some sliding practice?
"Ah, shoot, we're okay. We just use the best. We went to (New York Yankees Manager, Joe) Girarde, world champions. The great thing is, he's our knucklehead and I'm awful proud of him."

On Ron Rivera's achievements with the Chargers defense:
"I think he's done a great job. Like I said before, I think he's one of the top coaches in this league. He gets his players to play and I think that's the number one thing is, what you see on tape is what your players think of you. Obviously they think a great deal of Ron. They're passionate, they fly around the football, and they're excited to play and that's a tribute to Ron."

Have you had a chance to speak with Buddy (Ryan) about what he sees in this team?
"He thinks that obviously we're playing really well right now. He's excited. He thinks that our quarterback is getting better each week. He thinks that we can be special. I agree with him."

Jets QB Mark Sanchez

Have you ever played at Qualcomm before?
"No sir."

Did you ever get down here to watch Chargers games as a youth?
"I went to a Charger game last year. It was the playoff game against the Colts."

Was that your first taste of a playoff game?
"Yes. It was awesome. Their fans are great and get after it and cheer pretty loud. They beat a good Indianapolis team. That's the first game I saw them play and I know that they can play well, especially when it's a playoff atmosphere."

Now a year later you're bringing your team into Qualcomm. Pretty remarkable isn't it?
"It seems like just a few days ago that I went to that game and it's already been an entire year, so it's a pretty special opportunity and we want to go in there and play our best."

What do see on film about the Chargers?
"A very tough defense that gives quarterbacks fits. They make it tough on passers. They are great zone droppers and they match up really well against a lot of teams. Their cornerbacks (Antonio) Cromartie and (Quentin) Jammer are unbelievable. I got a chance to meet Shaun Phillips last year when I was going through the whole draft process and he's been playing well all year. Then obviously Shawne Merriman, who's an explosive guy who makes plays that really change the course of the game. It's a unit that we really need to prepare for and play well against and bring our best. It will be fun to see Kevin Ellison out there playing well, as a USC alum and a former teammate."

Kevin Ellison said yesterday that he used to wear you out in practice. Can you confirm or deny that?
"Come on. He's just trying to get bulletin board material out of me. He's an awesome player and so competitive which makes it so fun to play against a guy like Kevin. He's someone you really want to compete against whether it's shooting hoops, or playing against him on the football field in the playoffs, or flipping a coin. This guy wants to win. It's going to be a great matchup for us and to see how well he's doing as a rookie is awesome. You almost knew it was going to happen by just the way he played and his work ethic. He deserves it. It's going to be very fun to see him before the game. But once the whistle blows, it's time to get down to business."

What part of playing for Rex Ryan is different than playing for anyone else?
"He's pretty unique. He definitely speaks his mind and doesn't hide anything by sweeping it under the rug. He tells you exactly what he's thinking and that's his way of communicating. It's really blunt force trauma and that's the way he does it and we've all bought in and understand where he's coming from and we love to play for him. It's been fun and a great experience to grow with him and watch our relationship develop. It's going to be fun to play for him for a long time hopefully."

Do you ever catch yourself thinking "Oh no what's he saying now?"
"No. He's just so truthful and if anything, he doesn't hide anything at all. It's pretty funny sometimes. He just wants to make sure I'm having fun and playing smart and respecting the

Verve Records artist and actress Katharine McPhee will perform at the Chargers official tailgate, the Bud Light Power Party, before singing the National Anthem to kickoff the Chargers AFC Divisional playoff game against the New York Jets.

Fans first met McPhee on Season Five of American Idol. The runner-up could seemingly sing any style of music, but especially mesmerized millions with her heart-stirring rendition of "Over the Rainbow."  Her first solo album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 in early 2007. In her recently released album, Unbroken, the extent of her talent becomes apparent-not only as a singer but as a songwriter. The performer's new single, "Had it all" is currently available for purchase on iTunes.

McPhee's acting credits include an appearance on "CSI: New York," where she premiered "Say Goodbye," a heartbreaking ballad from Unbroken, as well as a co-starring role in the 2008 hit, "The House Bunny."  As a recording artist, Katharine found early success with her debut album, Katharine McPhee and her first single "Over the Rainbow"/"My Destiny" which both debuted at number two on Billboard's 200 and Hot Singles Sales Charts, respectively.

The Bud Light Power Party is free and located in Lot E2/F2. The party opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 12:30 p.m.

For more information about McPhee, visit her official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/katharinemcphee, or Kim Jakwerth at kim@marleahleslie.com or 323-464-9669.

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Head Coach Norv Turner

How challenging is it designing plays against New York's defense?
"They're playing great on defense. When you can defend the run the way they are, and then they're first in the league in scoring defense, you're doing a lot of things real well. Everyone talks a lot about the blitz but they're doing a great job of playing defense when they're not blitzing. Their coverage is outstanding. They're a press, tight, cover-type team. You have to work to get open and you have to protect."

Did practice have a different feeling today knowing who you're going to face?
"It helps to get into more detail in terms of who you're playing. I thought we had great work last week. We need to work on things that have given us problems, things that we thought we could do better. We got work on that last week. Now you zero in on a team."

Given how many injuries you had this season, can you talk about A.J. Smith's role in building depth and getting players to fill in?
"I've talked about it all year: adding players as we've gone along, having depth in our lineup. I always go back to first of all getting those guys here. Obviously we've done a great job of that. Then the position coaches getting those guys ready to play. Then those players stepping up and doing what they've had to do."

How do you prepare for an attack like Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene?
"They only play one of them at a time, so that's a good thing. They're a good running football team. That's the way they've been built. They do mix in the pass. Obviously they got big plays in the passing game last week against Cincinnati. Those were the two big plays late in the game and the bootleg for the touchdown early. You have to play it honest. You have to play the run but you know that at the right moments they're going to come up with those play-action passes that can hurt you."

Do you approach things any different defensively when facing a rookie quarterback in the playoffs?
"We really have to prepare for what they do. Then if we have opportunities, the way you get after young guys is if you have opportunities to get them in those longer down and distances, get them backed up, get them in some situations that are tough for all guys, then you try to get in those situations."

What do you see from Darrelle Revis?
"I'm really impressed. We played them here last year. I thought he was outstanding. This system really fits what he does. They do put him on an island and he handles it extremely well."

How does he compare with Champ Bailey and some of the other great cornerbacks in the NFL?
"He's playing at a real high level. He's probably more physical than the other guys we've seen and still does a great job with the coverage."

QB Philip Rivers

What did you think of the Jets' performance this weekend?
"They're a good team. Anybody you face, we said last week, is going to be a really good team. I think they're just that. They played really good football down the stretch, which is what you want to do: be playing your best ball at playoff time. As far as their defense is concerned, it's going to be a challenge. They'll be as good as any we've played so far and again, that's what you expect. You get to this point in the season - the playoffs - and it's going to be a lot of good versus good out there."

What is the biggest challenge with playing the Jets' 46 defense?
"I think that's probably a term that you guys keep using more than it actually is. This defense is a multiple-look defense. They line up every way you can possibly line up. As you see and as you watch on TV, and obviously we watched the tape, they're fundamentally sound. Defensive football, when it's played the right way, there's a soundness to it. You can line up as many ways as you want, guys still have their gaps and the coverage schemes can only be so drastic. They give you multiple looks, they try to create confusion and obviously they've had a great deal of success doing it."

Do you try to force them out of their formations?
"I think as an offense you always want to go out and dictate to the defense, but at the same time, this defense, you've still got to be smart. It's a cat and mouse game, as it is in every game. You can try to line up and try to do whatever you want to do and they're going to have a response to it. We'll put together a plan that fits our personnel that gives ourselves the best chance to succeed and they'll do the same."

Is Darrelle Revis as good as you've seen?
"As far as we've played this year and I've seen, he stacks right up there with the best of them. He's just very patient, for as much press as he plays he's a very patient corner. Obviously you see when he gets his hands on the ball he catches it. That's not always the case for those defensive backs, but if he gets his hands on it he usually come out with it."

It doesn't appear necessarily that you will stay away from a guy?
"Again, you're smart. You know where they're best, and they know where we're at our best and you're smart with those guys and who you attack. We're pretty confident with the guys we have sideline to sideline that we can go out and execute."

What do you think of Mark Sanchez' performance and what he's going through right now?
"Just watching him back in his USC days, he plays the game with a lot of passion and excitement, and at the same time has a calmness about him that you need this time of year. I thought he played really well the other day, had a few big time throws that obviously kept drive alive and got points on the board. Like it is for any quarterback in any game you play, it's about winning, but in the playoffs nobody cares how or how you do it, it's just about winning. Obviously they went out and got a win last week."

Do you see any similarities with the way New York is handling him and the way the Chargers handled you in 2006 in your first season as a starter?
"A little bit. I think it was more early on. It was more the first couple weeks of the season, but you think back to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Denver, we threw 30 plus passes. I don't know if there is a real valid comparison there."

In terms of atmosphere, how important is it for the crowd to be loud?
"Our fans have been awesome all year. Unfortunately we lost two home games early, but since then we've won six. We're going to need those fans to be at their best. I think they were unreal at the Cincinnati game. You think back to the past playoff games we've had here; Indianapolis last year, Tennessee the year before that; it's been some pretty amazing atmospheres. We're going to need the same on Sunday to get the true home field advantage."

Is there a warm weather advantage?
"I think certainly, depending on what the temperature is, heat can certainly be a factor. We're a little more used to it. But when you get out there in a playoff game for four quarters, I think unless there are some key elements - snow, wind, rain - you get out there and it's going to be two good teams playing to their fullest for 60 minutes to see who moves on."

How is this team growing with the playoff experience the last few seasons?
"We've certainly grown each year. We've got a lot of guys who have played in playoff games, multiple playoff games, in every different situation. So certainly we do have some experience. Once the ball is kicked off it's a football game, in between the lines it will be played the same as it's played any other time. We need to be at our best. Obviously the Jets have some momentum and are playing really good football and we need to be at our best on Sunday, I'm sure they'll be. That's all you can ask for in a playoff game."

LB Shawne Merriman

What are your thoughts on this week's opponent?
"They are a physical bunch of guys. We've seen that in their last few games. We saw it again in their last playoff game. We have to come out and be physical. That's where the game will start and finish at."

The defense has made a lot of strides throughout the year by improving against the run. Is this going to be the ultimate test?
"I think so because they are pretty good at running the ball and that is something that they lean heavily on. They've been pretty good at it and it's going to be a big test for us to be able to come out there and stop it early."

Their rookie quarterback had an efficient game this past weekend but is him being a rookie something you think that you guys can exploit?
"He makes pretty smart decisions. I think he was 12 for 15 in the game. In some of those cases, he didn't have to do much but just make a good decision and I think he's been able to do that for them. He's probably part of the reason why they are in the position that they are in now."

What is it about their running game that makes them dangerous?
"They are very physical. I just heard something recently that their offensive line has started 32 straight games together as a group. The continuity is there for sure. It's a big reason why they have had success running the ball. They've been able to be physical against guys up front. They have a few first rounder's that they rely heavily on to go and make some plays for them and be good blockers."

How do you step it up now with this new season of playoffs?
"When you play in the playoffs, everything is faster. Just when you think that you are running as fast as you possibly can, you have to pick it up. Dive for the extra inches and finish every tackle. That's what it's been about for us. We got a chance this weekend to sit back and watch and get the feel of other guys playing to get a feel for the tempo out there. The bye week has helped us a little bit with that."

How do feel physically?
"I feel pretty good. The last four or five games I was pushing through so we could get in the position that we are in right now where not only myself, but some of the other guys were able to get some rest. I feel good and I'm ready for a great week of practice."

Do you feel 100%?
"I really don't put a percentage on it because I can go out there and say that I'm 100% but you just never know. But I feel pretty good though."

When's the last time you've felt this good?
"When did the football season start? (Laughs) No, probably four or five weeks ago. Right before I had the foot injury and then the groin earlier in the season for two games so this is probably the best I've felt in a while."

How excited are you to play in a playoff game again? It's been a while for you.
"I'm excited because it's a long season. And to start the way we did and to have this winning streak and go on that run like we did and to even win against Washington to keep our momentum going like we did makes it great. I'm excited to go out and play some football."

Personally, are you at all concerned about reps just because you haven't been involved in the atmosphere for a while, especially in the playoffs where you said it's a whole different speed?
"Well I just missed Washington. I played in the game before that and in other games this season. I didn't sit out the whole year and am getting ready to play my first game of the season this week. It's more like I got some rest that was well needed. I think we needed it as a team to go out there and perform in this tough physical battle. We're getting ready for a fight period. We know what kind of guys are coming to our house and we have to be ready. And we will be."

Did you see any one common trait in this past weekend's game?
"Games coming down to three or four plays. That Green Bay game, both teams scored a combined 90 something points scored. But there was three to five really big plays where they put up points that you can't let happen in this league, especially in the playoffs because in the playoffs it gets that much more important. So when it comes down to three or four big plays that can change the result of the game, you have to be more conscience of every play and not take one too lightly than the next."

How important is a fan atmosphere like it was during the Bengals game?
"Very important. Our fans have been great and specially down the stretch. In the Bengals game they had Bengals had three or four penalties just because of the loudness of our fans. It's going to help at the end of the day and hopefully they keep getting louder out there for us."

How important is it to get pressure on Mark Sanchez early on?
"It's important because we expect them to run the ball first because they are one of the best teams in doing so. But when it's time for them to throw the ball, it's time to get after him and make him make some decisions that he doesn't want to make. Going 12 for 15 last week means he can be pretty accurate so we have to change that up a bit."

Do they use him pretty smartly?
"Yes because he's athletic and can move and get out of the pocket. They are using his skills to their advantage rather than having him sit back there like a sitting duck and then take a big hit. He's able to move and get out of the pocket a little bit."

Yesterday we saw a team come back from three touchdowns. How important is it as a defense to keep that pressure on in the playoffs no matter how big of a lead you might have?
"It's very important because you were watching that game and you thought that Arizona was going to win that game by a landslide. But it was a fight all the way down to the end of the game and situations like that happen in the playoffs where things become that much more important. Because there's no quitting in the playoffs; because everyone on the team knows if you lose, you go home. There's no getting ready for the next week if you don't win. Every play counts at this point."

RB LaDainian Tomlinson

What are your thoughts on the Jets defense?
"I think they're the best defense we're going to play. They do a lot of things well, but they've got the winning formula. They run the ball well. They play good defense. You look at teams throughout history who have done well, the ones that have that winning formula are the ones who have been successful."

Why are they so good against the run in particular?
"They know what they want to do. They know their assignments. They don't mess up. They're not out of position a lot of times and they play hard."

How important will it be to get the run going this week?
"I think it will be big for us to play ball control and keep the ball moving down the field. I'm sure they're not going to give up a lot of big plays in the passing game, so it's going to be up to us to grind out yards, get the tough yards and put points on the board."

Can you talk about the dance video that's making the rounds on the internet?
"It was something that Nike wanted to do showing a different side of me. It happened a couple years ago. We came up with it. Nike put it together and I went in and did it and had a great time."

Were you happy with your dancing?
"Oh yeah. That wasn't a question. I knew I could pop a couple of moves."

Is this an internet only release?
"Yeah, right now. They can do other things with it. Nike has the rights to it, so they have the option to do whatever they want."

You did catch some grief?
"Oh yeah. Guys were repeating the song. I was surprised that guys remember the song. They were repeating the words, the dance moves. Kris Dielman was out on the field showing me all the dance moves from the video. I was surprised they remembered it."

WR Vincent Jackson

What do you see in Darrelle Revis?
"I see a talented young football player. He's had some success against some of the best receivers in the league. I think part of that comes from teams try to say, 'Hey, if you're going to try to take this away, that's fine because we should be able to beat you in other areas.' I would love to have a great game against him, but if I don't have 100 yards or something, I might only get the ball thrown to me twice, but that's okay. We've got Malcom, LA, Buster, Sproles, LT, Antonio. I'm not really focused on the 1-on-1 matchups."

Is his physicality unique?
"He is a more physical corner. I think he likes to get up and touch you, feel you as you're running around and get some contact at the line of scrimmage. I'd expect that, but I think with our size and our speed that it's not going to be any different from what we faced with other defensive backs."

How hard is it to get off that press coverage?
"That's part of the game. I've been facing all kinds of corners. There are a lot of good football players in this league. Obviously he's getting more of the attention right now, but I think press coverage is something I can split."

How do the Jets use Revis in their defense?
"He's pretty much just on their best receiver, pressing him. In a few situations, I notice where they move receivers around and he actually doesn't go with them. For the most part they say, 'Hey, it's you one on one.'"

Are you looking forward to facing him?
"Absolutely. That's why you play. You train to be the best; you play to be the best. Obviously right now he's considered one of the top guys in the league. I'm looking forward to it."

This offense isn't one that stays away from one side of the field if there's a player of Revis' caliber over there. Would you expect to see that?
"I hope not. I don't want to. I would love to just go out there and do what we've been doing, play to our strengths and go after it."

Do you expect to see Revis across from you the whole game?
"Who knows what they're going to do. I would assume that's what they're going to do with me, but we've got weapons all over the field so they may just play him on the side that he likes to play on. That is the strength of our team though. We can beat you with anybody."

What do you like about playing with Philip Rivers?
"He's a big, strong athletic guy and he plays with a lot of fierceness. He has a little swagger to him. That's one of the things I love about him. When you get in that huddle, he believes each and every time that we're going to score on the drive. To have somebody with that confidence and that desire to be successful, he wants to be good individually as well as help us win games. It's fun playing with a guy like that.

Does Rivers act like a coach on the field a lot of times?
"I'm pretty sure his dad is a big-time high school football coach and you see a lot of that in him. He can call back plays. We'll be doing something on the field or in the meeting room and he'll say, 'Remember that third quarter in 2006?' He can tell you everything. The way he can recall plays like that is amazing to me. He's definitely a football junkie."

Was there a point in the last couple of years where the light just came on for you?
"There was no light. I've always had the belief that if I work hard I can be successful at this game and I've developed more with opportunity. My third year, Norv came here and started using me more in the passing game was well as a vertical threat mentality and my numbers started to go up."

What's impressed you about the job Norv Turner has done leading this team?
"Norv has done a great job. He's provided the same message for us and that's key. Especially dealing with young players, you need consistency in your coach. That's what he's been. He's said, 'We can't worry about anything outside of this locker room, outside of this building. All we can do is focus on us.' Denver was 6-0 but we couldn't sit there and worry about what Denver was doing. He brought everybody together and said, 'We're going to focus on us. We're going to win the games we need to win and the rest will take care of itself.' Since everyone has kept that same belief and mentality each and every week we've come out and worked, it's no looking back."

How nice was it for you to get a chance to rest last week?
"I did get some rest. We're still working on it. I'm hoping to be closer to 100 percent by Sunday but obviously it's hard for anybody at this point in the season to be 100 percent. That's not what I'm focused on. I'm trying to be as prepared and as healthy as I can be to help this team. The bye helped a lot of guys on our team."

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