Mike Singletary Monday lunch press conference: Eagles edition

Some genius just asked: How do you feel about not making the playoffs. Singletary responded with: You’ve been sitting here for a while. How do you think I feel?

I love bad questions.

Does SB Nation even bother to test before publishing for quality review?

The NFL Playoffs are on your phone now crashing your browser now

alex smith is destined for Trent Dillferism. Its a disease that quarterbacks get when they have some talent and great potential and just end up sucking at the end of the day. He will retire some day with a super bowl ring, i can just feel it, thing is he wont be on our team and wont be on the field when it is won, he will be holding a stud QB’s clip board as said stud QB wins the big one.

But i really hate, hate Philly…

http://deadspin.com/5431473/its-always-snowing-in-philadelphia?autoplay=true

are the worst!! they always think theyr going to win it all…hahha

Has the transcript of the press conference up on his blog.

A couple of key quotes (I think)…

 On whether or not Smith has hit “the wall”
bq."First of all, I have not seen Alex hit a wall. I have to be very honest there, that is why I am looking forward to the next two games. I have not seen him hit a wall. I think he has been consistent. We can go back to the Tennessee game and you say, ‘Hey, he had four turnovers.’ No, no he didn’t. There was some help that he had in that game, and it was the same in this game. It is a shame to me that every time a quarterback throws an interception that automatically it’s him. The guy is off, well he stinks. I think it is very important, and you have to evaluate it as the coach and make sure that you are looking at that quarterback and not destroy him and forget about the other parties involved. Is it the line, are they giving him enough protection? Is it the receivers, are they getting where they are supposed to go? Is there a trust factor, that receiver, can he trust him? There are a lot of different issues, which is why when I look at the film I am very encouraged. I don’t have a situation in here where I am sitting back thinking, ‘Man, I thought Alex was making progress and now I don’t know.’ I’m not there at all, I promise you. I feel very good about his progression and the fact that he has only played a month and a half, maybe two, I am very encouraged by what I have seen in a short amount of time for a guy who has been out of football for a couple of years."

Is Smith showing growth each week?
bq. "Yes, I am. When I look at Alex, I think each week he’s continued to grow. I think he’s done a lot in a short amount of time. There are some quarterbacks around the league, and I’m not going to get into that, but that’s been playing a while, and I don’t think as efficient as he is right now. So, to me, when I’m looking at him and some of the things that he’s been able to do, and some of things that he did last night, some of the decisions that he made, I think some of the things that have been happening right now for him, it’s just that experience factor. It’s just getting the timing down with the receivers more, and those little trap plays there whether it’s a two or four, he’s going to have a better feel for if that safety is really going to go with that tight end, or is that corner really going to go with the No. 1 receiver. All that is is just seeing it long enough, going through it long enough so you have a feel for it. But, I’m comfortable with what I’m seeing right now."

On those three first half interceptions
bq. The first interception that he threw, he was throwing the ball to [TE] Vernon [Davis], and to be honest with you, I just think Vernon has to make a better play on that ball. I think the ball was there. It’s just one of those situations where Vernon either has to make that play, or either he has to stop that DB from making that play. He’s got to help the quarterback as well. Vernon is going to be a great tight end one day, but he’s got to put the whole package together. That was the first interception. The second interception that Alex threw, it looks like the defense was playing two-man. The same sort of thing happened when we played Tennessee, where they had sort of like a four-man, where when the tight end takes off up the field, the safety is going to take off with him, and then the quarterback is getting back in a rhythm and it’s like, the ball is out. So, when you have a quarterback that’s as efficient as Alex can be and is getting the ball out and getting it to the receivers, then what you do from time to time is do a trap two. It’s a trap coverage where you’re throwing the ball on timing, and it looks like the receiver, or the defender is going with that receiver, and about one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, you come back and get in front of the second guy that the quarterback is going to try and throw the ball to because he feels that either the corner or the safety has run off, but they come back. So, that’s what happened last night on the second coverage. I know that doesn’t make any sense to you, but I’m trying to explain it within the time frame that I can. But, I can understand why it happened; you just don’t want it to happen. The last interception he threw was just a poor decision. He’s trying to – the guy has him, he’s trying to make a throw to [RB] Frank [Gore]. It’s a bad decision. So, when I look at his play other than that, he’s getting the ball out, he’s throwing the ball where it needs to be. He threw some nice balls, out patterns – wherever you want it. He was making some pretty good throws.

In a note of great sadness to me, he did not use any of my historical metaphors to describe the O-Line’s pass protection in Philadelphia. I was hoping for a “The Titanic’s hull did a better job keeping out the water,” or “The Maginot Line did a better job keeping out the Nazis” or “The Great Wall of China did a better job keeping out the Mongolian herds.”