Secondary coach Jeff Hafley:
On what the DB can do better to help the front seven in run defense:
"We're a key in stopping the run, whether they are creating extra gaps or forcing the ball to bounce to the perimeter to the corners or forcing us to get us our safeties down in the box. A lot of teams are going to make your corners tackle. We have to tackle better. I think we have done a better job working that. Our safeties have to read their keys better so they get down on the run faster. That is part of their job. It is not just about playing the pass. If we are going to be really good on defense, our safeties have to get involved, we have to tackle great, we have to read our keys and we have to show up. I want those two safeties – and I told them this – I want it to look like a race to the football with those two, and I want it to end violently. When you start doing that, what happens is the ball carriers, instead of trying to go for two or three more yards – what do they do? They go down. We have the safeties to do that. That is what I want it to look like – a race to who is going to get to the ball faster to clean it up. That is going to send a message, hopefully, and that is how we want to play on defense."
On the formation with three safeties:
"We have very versatile safeties. (DB) Donte (Whitner) can play down in the box and he can play deep and really so can Gip (DB Tashaun Gipson) with the cover skills that he has. What it does is it creates a lot of versatility within the scheme. It creates confusion and it really gives us an advantage. We can do so many things – blitz this guy, cover this guy, put this guy deep. It just opens up a lot of calls for us with three really good football players that deserve to be on the field. (DB Jordan) Poyer is doing a good job. If he deserves to play, we are going to get him out there."
On which safety is the best blitzer:
"I am not sure right now. I have to see more of it when the pads come on."
On where DBs Tramon Williams, Justin Gilbert and Pierre Desir stand in terms of the starting CB spot opposite of DB Joe Haden:
"I think if you look right now, Tramon is with the ones. He has done a great job. He has really bought in. He came in in great shape and he has really had a good couple of days. It's still early. As far as the next, it is still competition. Why was Pierre out there first today? Because he earned it. That is how we are going to be in the room. Whoever earns it is going to be who goes out, whether it is with the twos or if Tramon takes the day off and it's with the ones. That could change tomorrow. It could have changed halfway through practice. When you create competition, you have to be fair and whoever earns it is going to be the next guy in. Pierre earned it today so today he got the nod."
On if there is anything he sees in Tramon Williams that doesn't show his age:
"Just watching him run against (WR Taylor) Gabriel and Hawk (WR Andrew Hawkins). Gabriel or Hawk went on a shallow cross and it looked like he was shot out of cannon. He looks young still to me. He can go. The way he takes care of his body, the way he approaches the game, he sits in the front of the room and he has like a beginner's mentality. He is in there taking notes and asking questions. To me, that says a lot about him. When guys do that, they get it. They know how to be pros."
Wide receivers coach Joker Phillips:
On hardships shorter WRs face:
"Last year, I'm sure you guys thought there were some hardships when (WR Taylor) Gabriel came in here and a few years ago when Hawk (WR Andrew Hawkins) went to Cincinnati I'm sure people thought that. I don't think there are any. I'm not a big guy so I'm kind of biased to the little guys some times. Plus, we want the best guy that can help us win. That's the deal here. We want the best guy that can help us win, can be productive outside and can help us win, regardless of size."
On his early impressions of WR Terrelle Pryor:
"One thing you see about him and everybody, I'm sure, when we signed him thought 'how willing is he to be a receiver?' He's all in. The guy is starving to be taught the techniques. There isn't a lot of teaching, and the good thing on my behalf is that he knows the system; he played in the system with Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo). I don't have to coach the alignments. I don't have to coach assignment. I don't have to coach adjustments. All I can coach is technique on the young man, and he's really willing. When I talked to him right after we signed him, he was already working with some quality guys. Now, I'm just trying to teach him our techniques and how to play the game."
On Pryor having to make reps count in practice:
"It's not just him. They all do. They all do. Reps are limited. We have 13 receivers outside so when you get reps, you have to make them count. It's not just Terrell, it's everybody in the room."
On Pryor's hands:
"He's handled the ball, obviously. I think has really, really good ball skills, has really strong hands. He's able to pluck the ball. He's not a body-catcher, although I'm never going to complain for a guy catching the ball in his body, but he's not that. He's got really natural ball skills. His hand placement is correct majority of the time. That's not the issue. Again, I don't have to coach that. I don't have to coach assignments. I don't have to coach alignments. I don't have to coach the ball skills. I have to coach the techniques and running routes and how to carry yourself outside."
On if Pryor has been picking up the WR technique:
"He is. He is. We do some extra work after practice and we do some before practice. One thing is, this group tries to help everybody and I really enjoy that, I enjoy seeing that as a coach. That's what you want to do. Sometimes you see a guy and they say, 'Man, I appreciate what you've done.' No, I don't need any appreciation; I need you to pass it down to someone else. That's what these players are doing. The defensive backs are doing it with Terrell, grabbing him before practice. All we want is a guy that can help us win games here and that's the main goal."
On his early thoughts on Gabriel in his first year working with him:
"He's a guy that you can really feel his speed on the field. I've been on the field with some guys that have great speed, but you really couldn't feel their speed when you're on the sideline. You can really feel this guys speed when you're on the sideline. It happens so effortless, too. Nothing moves, everything's in line when he's running, and he's got really good ball skills. That is the thing you can kind of have concerns with a fast guy – can he catch the ball on the run? Does he have to slow it? The guy does a really good job putting his foot in the ground and creating separation. He does a really good job of catching the football. Hopefully, he'll be a bigger hit this year."
