An Interview With

An Interview With:

BRIAN DAWKINS

Q. Brian, you've talked a lot in the last week, really since training camp, about how your approach to this season has been different. How long after that Carolina game did you realize you had to change something in your approach and what went into that decision?

BRIAN DAWKINS: Well, first of all, you try to forget about it. As hard as it was to do, you try to forget about that whole game and how hard it was to lose that game again.

But out of the game and after you look at the Super Bowl and all of the festivities, you really sit back and think about the game itself and the preparation to it, and just realize that I was way too tight and way too tense for that game.

To be able to perform at a high level, you can't be wound up and I now that's how I was and I'm pretty sure some other guys were the same way.

Q. You've seen a lot of cornerbacks in front of you over the years in Philadelphia, Lito Shepherd, when did he begin to turn the corner and begin to make that growth toward a quality player?

BRIAN DAWKINS: Well, it's been a gradual climb for him coming in, but the first thing that I can say is those guys could not have come in behind two better corners, not just going on the field but personal, because Bobby and Troy, those guys bled into those guys. They helped him out with different techniques or whatever. Whatever questions they had, they would always answer him.

This year you saw the confidence in him grow and grow and grow. Especially when you make interceptions for touchdowns, you can't help but have a little more confidence. Those are the things we really began to expect from him at making plays like that.

Another thing is he's had success in college and high school, so he expects that from himself, and I think we're getting to the point where we expect that from him, too.

Q. You have the added dimensions of Kearse and Trotter in this game, and Brian Westbrook on offense, but to what extent is the outcome of this game and do you take your inspiration on from this game on how well Donovan plays in this game?

BRIAN DAWKINS: That's going to be important and that's huge, for him to go out and have a good game. But the thing about it is, is everything is not dumped upon him; that he has to do everything. That's why we have Westbrook and that's why the other guys have stepped up in this past game and throughout this past year have made plays.

The pressure is always on the quarterback because he is going to get the ball first. He's going to make a decision of who the ball goes to. It's going to be important for him to go through his regular reads and make the same throws that he made last week and the guys catch them and make big plays after that.

Q. There's, I think six guys, who have been there since you got there; you're in that group. For the eight guys or the six, what does it mean to have been there with Andy and what kind of special feeling is there?

BRIAN DAWKINS: It was a special feeling last year and the year before, also. It's been a special feeling every year.

The thing that I can say is for you to be able to do this year-in and year-out, it's a tribute to the coaching staff; it's a tribute to the guys coming in and to a new organization, understanding how we do things around here.

I'm just having a good time with it, and I've said that from the beginning, that this year is going to be different for me, and it has been. I've had a good time with every game, I've grown with two young cornerbacks and I've gotten closer with Mike back there with me. And the defense, we went through some challenges early and we've had a good time of late and I've been happy with this season.

Q. Jevon and Donovan have talked about this team having more swagger than there's ever been, and you've always had a lot of swagger yourself, but can you see that in the entire team that there's something in that sense?

BRIAN DAWKINS: You can feel that and you can sense that, even in practice, you know, we take care of business, we do what we're supposed to do in concentration, but it's not an atmosphere where guys cannot have a good time.

That's just something that I think winning does to you and then confidence does to you. When you're confident in what you can do, and that's the one thing that I love about this team is that we're not riding on the experience of last year. We're not riding and betting on that that's going to help us win this game. It could, but we are betting on what we've done this year.

If you look at our film and our tape from this year, we've played some pretty good ball, so those are things that we're leaning on upon. We're not just saying that because we have been here and that we'll win, and that may help us, but we're not resting on that.

Q. What kind of a bond do you feel with the core that has been here and how satisfying would it be to win one with this group?

BRIAN DAWKINS: I have a tremendous bond with these guys, going through the things that especially, you know, when you talk about the guys who have been from the three, and those guys to where we are, you can't help but bond together.

The thing that I always do, and I prepare myself for every game, is to leave everything that I have -- not just saying it; and actually doing it, but try to leave everything that I have on the field. Give everything I have, and hopefully those guys are doing the same thing. You can't help but bond through those tough times. And the younger guys, they were sitting up on the ladder so to speak, but it's just up to us as the veteran guys to let those guys know how we got here and what it is, what we're doing, to help us to stay where we are.

Q. You were talking earlier about being a little tight last year and the year before maybe. What are some of the things you guys are doing this year to make sure it doesn't happen again?

BRIAN DAWKINS: As hard as it is to believe, it's not nothing that we're just consciously doing. Like I'm saying that, hey, let me look at everybody and make sure. No, it's just who we are now. That's who we've been all year. That's all we know how to be this year.

I don't see anything changing that. We realize and recognize that going into that Pittsburgh game, we weren't the team that we had been; and though we came out flat, you can't come out flat against teams.

So I don't see that changing. I don't see us going into the tank. I don't see us being tight coming into this game. We have enough guys in the locker room, especially Hugh coming back, to not let that happen again.

Q. Does Donovan seem any different this year?

BRIAN DAWKINS: Yeah, he's way -- much, much more confident. I'm not saying he wasn't confident last year, but some of the things that he said to you guys, we've backed him. You know, whatever he gets up here and say, we back him. Those are some of the things that he may not have said last year or the year before, and that just shows the leader that he is, that he's become, big-time, now; and on the field you can just see the poise that he has in the pocket. What he's doing with the receivers in spreading the ball around, a lot of the things that he's doing now, like I said, I don't know if he would have done that same thing last year.

Q. Andy was in here saying before that he was praising the presence of Hugh and the fun in the locker room. One of the criticisms, rightly or wrongly, when you guys did not get to the Super Bowl was maybe Andy, the team was bland and resembled Andy, etc. Has he changed over the stretch of games?

BRIAN DAWKINS: I mean, you guys -- you guys get what Andy wants you to hear, and that's the way he is.

With us, he's a little different. You know, he still has a good time, he jokes around with us. I don't see that being a huge change. It may be for you guys because he might have opened up a little bit to you guys in joking around, but for us he's always been that way.

I see some heads shaking no; so I guess he hasn't. (Laughter).

Q. The Atlanta Falcons have a dangerous tight end and they have great receivers, probably have good receivers, but doesn't look like there's anybody out there that necessarily is going to require double coverage on almost any play out there. Does that allow you to have less risk moving a safety up into the box and forcing the run or blitzing?

BRIAN DAWKINS: I tell you what, you never -- you never disrespect the guys you go up against. They are lining up that receiver for a reason, and though they may not have all of the catches that some of our receivers may have or other receivers, first of all, this is a running team first and foremost. They want to run the ball and they want to control the ball.

You know, the pass is almost an afterthought and their leading receiver would be Crumpler. You never sleep on the other guys.

But that being said, yes we are going to move some people in the box and yes we are going to do some different looks and move guys around and hopefully not let them get a key on who is doing what. Same thing we did last week.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports ...

An Interview With:

DONOVAN McNABB

Q. You talked forever about pressure ad nauseum, you're sick of talking about it?

DONOVAN McNABB: Yes.

Q. You said something after the Vikings game. That was a little unusual. You said that you thought the pressure was on the Falcons; do you still believe that?

DONOVAN McNABB: I do. Because if we go out and we play our style of football and we do what we're expected to do and the way we practiced and we come out with a win, obviously people will be trying to find questions of why we won and what the Falcons didn't do right instead of just saying, you know, we just played well.

So I think just what we have to do is just continue to get better each week and just practice on knowing what we're supposed to do, eliminating mistakes and everything should take care of itself.

Q. I was just wondering, this theme has been beaten to death about the Eagles getting to the NFC Championship. Do you ever visualize what it's like to get over the top and do you ever replay any of the other games, make a play here or a play there that may have gotten you to where you want to get?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, yes, I have visualized actually winning the game and holding up the trophy and getting hit by confetti and having all of our fans getting excited and it being chilly out there and the snow on the ground. See, I'm really visualizing that.

I think for all of us, just the anticipation of getting back out there and playing and putting ourselves in a great position to do that, but I haven't really replayed each game. You know, you have certain plays or you have certain things that have happened in each game, have happened, have come back in your mind to try to eliminate that coming into this game.

The main part of the whole deal for us I think is just eliminating mistakes and eliminating turnovers on the offensive side. If we can continue to do that, we'll put ourselves in a better position to win the game and make that a reality with the visualization.

Q. What happens if the wind is very high on Sunday? They're calling for 30-mile-an-hour winds; what happens to the game plan?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, I don't think anything too much changes. It just so happens that some plays that you try to attack down field, you've got to be cautious at times, you don't want the ball to hang in the air on you. It doesn't stop our game plan. Our game plan is still going to have an aggressive attack and the same mentality of if there's opportunities to take the shots, take the shots.

But continue to establish a tempo in the game. I think at times, you know, when you try to pull back away from your game plan, then you start doing things out of the ordinary, out of character, and you put yourself in a hole and it's tough to kind of dig yourself out of that hole.

Q. Do you feel kind of cheated the last two years? You really haven't been healthy in that game; did you ever think about that and the misfortune you've had in these two games?

DONOVAN McNABB: No, it's nothing that I would blame on the particular games, because if I'm out there on the field, I'm giving it all that I have. Sometimes you're not able to do everything that you set out to do because of that, but I would never make any excuses.

So I'm fully healthy right now. Just can't wait to get out there on that field on Sunday and get this thing started.

Q. Knowing how passionate Philly fans are, do you get the sense that if things don't work out for you guys this weekend they are still going to give you a mulligan, or would they not be quite so forgiving this time around?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, I haven't thought about that. Obviously I've been visualizing the positive outlook on things.

But, you know, that's not something as a player you focus in on. That's nothing that crosses your minds, if things don't go well, how they are going to react. Believe me, we have been there three times, so the reaction has not changed. They are excited just like we're excited. So again, with this game, you know, it gives us another opportunity to change things around and then we can see the reaction.

Q. What actually are you hearing on the streets? Are they saying, "This is the year" or do you sense gloom and doom? What are you sensing out there?

DONOVAN McNABB: It's funny, because with us being the home team and having home-field advantage and everything, a lot of people have picked us to lose and we like that underdog aspect of things, for people to turn their back on us a little bit and look for something good to happen from the opposing team. But that has not happened to us in a while.

With that being said, maybe there will be a different outlook on things, you know, after the game is over, people begin smiling again, shaking hands and doing everything Philadelphia fans love to do.

Q. You are healthy, and your numbers haven't been good in the past two games, championship games, so do you feel as though if you play well, that the team will win?

DONOVAN McNABB: I’m not making any guarantees so, that was a good one right there. With me being healthy, it gives us a better opportunity to win, I feel and the confidence is definitely there, that if I'm doing my job and doing it to the best of my ability and able to do different things if it's called on me to do that, then I think, we will be in a better position to win the game.

But, you know I think as a quarterback you want to establish a tempo early. You want to be able to set the tone. That's why reading the defense, what you're seeing with the coverage, delivering the ball to the open guy where, you know it's supposed to go to or check into a better play if the play that's called is not going to work, do the blitz, things like that where you're able to keep your offense balanced and everyone is on the same page and everyone is getting that extra push they need; and to top things off, with points in the end zone. That's something that I think as a quarterback, you kind of strive off of. Your confidence continues to grow. You walk down the sideline and you're seeing everyone excited and you know you've done your job and you can't wait to get back out on that field. That's something that I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to that.

Now I'm not looking forward to coming off on third down and trying to come up with a new scheme or a new play that we think is going to work. I'm looking forward to looking back in the backfield and seeing a smile on Westbrook or Dorsey Levens, dropping back five steps and hitting Freddie or Todd and getting the first down or hitting LJ or Chad to get the first down and to top things off with a touchdown pass or a touchdown run and get off on the sidelines with smiles and anticipating the opportunity to get back out there on the field. That's something that's in my mind right now.

Q. You were saying about growing up in Chicago, you played in bad weather. What is it like and how does it change things, whether it's footing, or if it's going to be bad, what does that do?

DONOVAN McNABB: In some situations, obviously footing is kind of bad. With the wind and everything like that, and then snow, so for running quarterbacks, it's kind of tough, so it may be tough for Mike Vick.

But for throwing quarterbacks, sitting in the pocket, I think it will be a little bit easier for me to get my footing. You didn't laugh at that too much? (Laughter) Okay. Good.

You know what it is, at times, with the wind, depending on the sides of the field where the wind may blow, Lincoln Financial, we sort of have a swirl in the middle of the stadium so some deeper balls may get caught up in the wind or some intermediate routes may tail a little bit, but that's something that you have to go out in pregame and get used to.

It's nothing to the fact that I'm going to sit back and change the way I throw or ball placement or things of that nature. You just have to go out and play football and that's the most important thing.

Q. What do you remember about how healthy you were in that Tampa game two years ago after sitting out for a couple of months, and what was it like at the end of that Carolina game last year being on the bench after you did leave the game and just what you were feeling?

DONOVAN McNABB: A lot of things go through your mind in that particular time, in that first game against Atlanta, you want to get your feet wet a little bit and get established. I was able to get out of the pocket on one particular play and pick up a couple of yards and the rhythm started to pick up.

In that second game, I think I was trying to do too much and I think what it came from was the fact that we played them earlier. So we sort of knew what to expect a little bit from those guys -- and you try to do a little bit extra. That's something over the year, over the past two other NFC Championships, you try to eliminate. When the game is close and all of a sudden it pops back up again, I need to do this or I should have done this on this particular play; and I think with that experience, it's helping us out in so many ways because now guys realize that you have to just be yourself. The person next to you is depending on you to be the player that they have seen in the 16-week season.

So you don't have to do anything extra, and that's something that, you know, I kind of have grown with the rest of those guy, the whole confidence and trust factor. Each week, I do my job, you do your job and everything takes care of itself. In this game, that's something we'll definitely take pride in.

Q. You go into this game with a similar wide-out package as you did last year and they had a rough game against Carolina. Why will they be better this time around?

DONOVAN McNABB: It goes back to the experience factor. Secondly, it goes to the confidence factor of just the things that we've been able to do this year. I think everyone has uplifted their game up to another level, and that whole trust factor of, if I do my job and I do what the call tells me to do, then that's what we'll do.

And I know that the ball will be there, we'll get the catch, we'll move on and go from there.

I think again, it's not just with the receivers, everyone talks about the receivers, but it's the whole offense, the offensive line. Those guys are communicating and doing a good job of having their chemistry at the right time, the running back situation, picking up the blitz and for myself, obviously the ball is in my hands, it starts with me of just knowing where the guys are going to be and putting the ball in a great position for them.

Q. You have a unique place in history in hosting the Championship Game three years in a row. Is there a great sense of pride in that or do you feel more of a burden because you guys are trying to get to the next level?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, I mean, there's a pride -- a sense of pride in obviously defending it here for three years, not too many teams can say that they have done that. Obviously the negative aspect of it is the fact that we have not moved on with that experience. I would say, it says a lot about this organization for us to get back to this point.

Now, I think to top things off is if we go out and play our style of play and have fun out there playing, and we move on, then they may say a lot about those three pre-times being here.

Again, we cannot focus on what happened the previous years. That's the past. No one remembers who lost in the Super Bowl because no one cares. No one even cares who played in the NFC or AFC Championship and lost, because if you don't win the Super Bowl, really, you're not going to pay too much attention to.

So that's the past. What we need to focus on is what we're doing here and what we need to do to get past here. I'm looking forward to it. I mean, I'm ready to take my shirt off, throw my pads on and let's play. But, I mean, I just can't help it. That's just me.

Q. How important was it for you to prove as you have that you are more than just the stereotypical running quarterback?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, you know, I'm past that. Because it seems that no matter what you do, that always seems to come out; that we're running quarterbacks.

I heard it last night that David Carr having more rushing yards than me and I'm waiting for David Carr to be known as a rushing quarterback. Believe me, if the duty calls for me to get out of the pocket and do something in this particular game, you'll see me running again and don't call me no running quarterback if I do get out of the packet.

Q. Can you talk about the evolution of trusting the West Coast offense, and also, coupling that and mastering the scheme?

DONOVAN McNABB: In this West Coast offense, there's a lot of ways of looking at it. A lot of people say it's a three-step, five-step, seven-step drop. One year is not going to have you be the masterminds of a particular offense. You'll see a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of players making plays in it, but they are still learning. Michael Vick is definitely learning the West Coast offense, and in his first year, he's making a lot of plays in doing that.

But the comfort level continues to build as the years continue on, and what Andy presents to us each week, and also each year, it's a different wrinkle. So once you think you've learned it, he'll throw something else at you that you've never even heard before, never even thought of the concept; then you have to focus in on that.

There's a lot of ways of looking at it, but me being in my sixth year now, you kind of get the mindset of knowing what Andy is expecting and where he's trying to go with that particular play.

Q. As a passing quarterback --

DONOVAN McNABB: Good call. Good call. Thank you.

Q. As a stationary drop back pocket passer, what do you think of the Falcons rush, they have a strong rush from two places and a lot of teams don't have that. How do you cope with that?

DONOVAN McNABB: Well, I think a lot of ways you can look at it with the Atlanta rush, people say their front four is their major part and, yes, their front four is the major part and they like to involve a linebacker or two. Keith is a guy that they feel confident that they can blitz and get to the quarterback but their front four has made a difference for their defense. Kerney, the big guys on the defensive line, but the Smiths and the Jaspers, the guys that continue to rotate in there, keep them fresh, you see that spirit, that energy by different guys that you probably would not even know their name if they didn't mention it on the intercom.

That's something that people don't pay attention to. As a quarterback you are sitting there watching film and you see them with the bull rush or they are coming with tackles and stunts and then involving linebackers, but their defense applies a lot of pressure. I think as a quarterback what's very important is that you continue to have your timing and chemistry there, if it's a five-step drop with rhythm, you get the ball out in five so you eliminate the pressure being pushed up in your face or possibly finding a passing lane to get the ball to your guys. That's important.

That's something that as you watch on film, you kind of say, "Well, okay, they are getting a lot of push in the backfield, what do we need to do to possibly eliminate some of that?" Well, they talk about screens, they talk about being able to run the ball, things like that, where now their D-Line men are being cautious of getting wider field and that eliminates a lot of different things. If you are able to run the ball and set up some other things, then you'll see a whole new different defense.

Q. You've talked a lot in the last couple of days about you want to play right now and you're visualizing what this game is going to be like. Do you just have a different feeling this time around than maybe any of those other times?

An Interview With:

BRIAN WESTBROOK

Q. Donovan has spoken several times this week that he feels the team has more energy now than it did at this point of the past few seasons. Do you agree, and if so, why do you think that is?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: I think one reason is because coach rested us a little bit towards the end of the season. But this year, we're coming in a little bit more confident. I think we have more players healthy, with the exception of T.O. of course, but they have more starters healthy than we did the last previous years.

And I think that confidence factor goes to speak to a lot of the things that we've done over the past season. We have done a lot of good things this season and hopefully we continue that and doing those good things throughout the season has built up our confidence so much that, you know, we're relaxed and we're ready to play.

Q. Donovan continues to insist that the pressure is on the Falcons for some reason. You guys have lost three straight NFC Championship games, Falcons Coach Jim Mora said they are pretty much playing with house money and no one expected them to be here. He's talked about pressure a lot and haven't really heard a lot from you about it. What are your thoughts on those two things?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: You know, as a player, I don't feel too much pressure. Pretty much the same thing Donovan said, we continue to be loose, we continue to be fresh, we continue to be a team that has a lot of characters on this team and we continue to have fun.

We don't feel like we have a lot of pressure, particularly myself, I don't feel like I have a lot of pressure on me. You know, I would not say that they would have too much pressure; that they are playing with house money, but as a team that has already lost three, we've already felt the wrath of the city, everyone in the city has already been mad at us, and now we're going out to win a ballgame. For us to play with pressure and play uptight, we'll never win like that. We have to be loose and have fun out there this week.

Q. Why would you be more confident now than in other years in which you had home-field advantage?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: I think now, basically because we have more people healthy. Of course, last year, I wasn't able to play. Our defensive MVP Carlos Emmons was not able to play last year. Donovan got hurt in the game. Those are key injuries that we had to overcome in that game and it was tough for us to do that.

The year before, I think that we played very tight, as well as last year. But we played tight. I think this year we are going in, we are going to be a little bit looser, we are going to have more fun. We had a good week in practice. We just had that confidence. We had that air of confidence about us, and we put in a lot of hard work to get to this point and hopefully that hard work will show on Sunday.

Q. The weather conditions, we expect a lot of snow. Do you think that will be more of a liability or could that actually help running backs and the running game?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: Well, for a guy like me, I think that I can still be effective in the snow and the rain or anything like that. I think that defenders are still going to have to tackle. They are still going to have to break down and try to tackle the running back. It's the same thing for other guys on their team. I'm not a bruiser so I'm not going to try to run people over. I'm going to continue to try to make them miss. And the weather will help me, hopefully I'll have the right footwear on, so I won't slip at all.

Q. You said you felt the wrath of the city; any particular instances in the past and do you feel a different feeling around town this year going into the game?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: Of course, everyone in the city was upset. They were disappointed, they were mad. You know, everyone knows that we have the best fans in the NFL. But when things go wrong, they are definitely going to boo. They are definitely not going to be excited about it. Just the city was upset, just like we were disappointed with ourselves and this year we had an opportunity to change things around. We are not looking to last year for our momentum or anything, our confidence. But we are looking to the things that we are going to do and we have done in the past to build on and hopefully our 16 games in the regular season will point to what we'll do this weekend.

Q. Just to play off of what you said a few minutes ago about the health of your team, the quarterback in particular, Donovan, is injury-free now, what do you notice about him that's different going into this game hand the last two years when he clearly wasn't at full strength?

BRIAN WESTBROOK: Well, like Donovan, like everybody, continues to say he's playing with a lot of confidence right now. He has a lot of accuracy right now. I think he's been more accurate this year than in previous years. He's spreading the ball around at this point. Before he was hitting to but now that he's injured, he is bringing the ball around to different people. You can tell from last year, that's the way we was winning, we were spreading the ball around and everybody was making big plays and everybody was involved in the game and everybody was making big plays. Donovan is the type of guy that has confidence in everybody, and his play has definitely picked up again this year and last year.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports ...

An Interview With:

JEVON KEARSE

Q. This is your first time around with these teammates in this situation. How are they handling it? Can you give us any insight how they are handling being in it for the fourth time?

JEVON KEARSE: Right now we have a pretty nice swagger going on. Just being around the locker room and other players and the coaches, you would have never known that they last lost the last three NFC Championship games. Of course, you're going to read about it and the media are going to bring it up, but as far as the coaches and the players, it's just like, this is just another important step that we've got to take in order to get where we have to be, and that's me wearing the ring, man.

Q. What did you think of the Philadelphia fans when you weren't here and what do you think of them now, the Eagles fans, of course?

JEVON KEARSE: Oh, man, just when I wasn't here, on the outside looking in, just hearing about things that the fans do when they aren't happy or when things don't go their way, I mean, it's all a part of it. But you've got to give it to the fans because they are so passionate about it; that you've just got to love the way that they come out and the way that they show their support so you can't blame them for being disappointed because we are going to do what we can do.

Q. What does it say about this team that there is no talk about the last three years, and it doesn't seem to have had any bad effect on the guys and the confidence is still high going into this one?

JEVON KEARSE: Basically, I mean, that's the past. All that stuff happened in the past.

Me, personally, I wasn't a part of that. I was a part of those AFC Championship games and all of that, so this is my first time around in the NFC. Hey, it feels good.

Q. You weren't part of it, but you've been part of going to the Super Bowl and losing. What does it take mentally to bounce back after a tough loss like that?

JEVON KEARSE: Basically you learn from it. You learn from things like that, especially like the way we lost the Super Bowl, coming up a yard short, you basically just learn from that. You learn how to work in the off-season. Like whenever you're doing any extra conditioning or any extra film work or anything, it teaches you to go that, do that extra play or if you're conditioning or running or lifting weights, do that extra rep, just whatever that can get you so that you know that you gave that extra yard so you don't come up short whenever you really need it.

Q. When you rush somebody like Vick do you change a little, do you slow down or are you worried that he can't just charge, one elusive move and he's gone?

JEVON KEARSE: Yes, everyone knows it. You want to put a lot of pressure on someone like that, hopefully mess the speed up and get upfield. Then again, if you get out of your rush lanes by trying to get up field and go around the guy, Vick is that elusive, he has vision that he can step up and out and he can be at the hole if any linebackers and defensive backs are covering.

I'm going to be rushing like I did all season long but again there's going to be some times where I'm a little bit more -- I'm a little bit more -- more, quarterback-scrambling conscious.

Q. Do you believe that you have any sort of competitive advantage in the fact the Falcons have not played an above .500 team since Halloween?

JEVON KEARSE: Oh, man, it could be an advantage, but then again, I mean, all that stuff is just the past. All of that stuff is in the regular season. So all of that stuff is behind us now.

Really the only thing we have been paying a lot of focus on is what they have been doing just these past couple of weeks. If you add in from all the way back to Halloween, we'd probably be lost in the shuffle somewhere, so we pretty much have to throw all that out and pretty much just watch some good film on the good stuff that they are doing now.

Q. In your mind, is Michael Vick more dangerous if it's good footing or if it's bad footing, and does he have an advantage either way?

JEVON KEARSE: I personally think he'll have more advantage if it's good footing out there, because, I mean, just watching film, you see guys -- you see guys, like they have him cornered, like they have him, about to take him down and look like they are about to break down and get a good hit on him and you blink and look again, and he's probably busting his head on the goal post or something. (Laughter).

So, I mean, if the weather comes in like we expect it to come in and work for us, hopefully it will be bad footing for someone like Vick is just extra quick, extra fast. I think it will be good if the footing -- if the weather helps us out.

Q. Why do you feel, you're saying the weather will work for you, what is it other than Vick works on your behalf, and if they are a running team, they are going to be able to run on any kind of conditions?

JEVON KEARSE: Basically, then again, you pretty much know what to expect then. So if it's a lot of snow or if it's really wet, the expectations are especially a team like Atlanta who have two pretty good running backs, you can expect that they can't throw the ball or if there's not the conditions for it, they are going to run the ball. So you've basically just got to be ready for it.

Q. As someone who got to the Super Bowl early in his career, is this a chance that you appreciate all the more now after all of these years of not getting back there?

JEVON KEARSE: Definitely. I mean, I'm going to admit, like after coming to the League my first year, having so much success as a team and making it through the playoffs and getting in as a wild-card and then getting to Super Bowl, all of the stuff went so fast and then afterwards I was able to soak it all in because we don't have that bi-week between the Championship Game and the Super Bowl. So basically everything just ran right along with each other.

After the game, really like months later after I really sat down and digested it, it's one of those things where you just can't have anything -- you can't say "I wish I would have" or "I should have" or "I could have." It can't be any of that. You've really got to be out and do it all, you've got to do it all that day and you can't leave anything else there. You're going to be home much later and saying, "Wow, we were there and we had a chance."

An Interview With:

COACH ANDY REID

Q. Simoneau and Runyon in practice, what's their status?

COACH ANDY REID: Both of them practiced. Mark will be a game-day decision. Jon, he should be fine.

Q. Donovan and some of the other players have talked this week about how they sense that the team has more energy than maybe it took to this point in the season in years past. Considering that you did take a certain amount of heat for resting guys at the end of the regular season, do you feel that now is the time that that move is going to pay it's dividends?

COACH ANDY REID: Well, I know everybody had their opinion and there were a lot of people that I respected that were against it and a lot of people that I respected that were for it, which I understand. And we'll see. We'll see how things work out. It seems as though it worked out well last week. The guys seemed to be fresh and practice was that high, high energy, high octane this week.

Q. You have 14 players that have been with you all these three championship games. Talk about the bond that you feel with them and what it will be like to get over the hump with that group?

COACH ANDY REID: Well, you know, we have a nucleus of players of players that you grow very fond of the longer they are around. They are a good group of guys. You'd like nothing more than to see them take the next step, a long with the City of Philadelphia. All of them are well-deserving.

Q. You mentioned a few moments ago that Jon Runyan is going to be okay, but does that necessarily mean they will start the game?

COACH ANDY REID: Yes, he'll start.

Q. I just wonder from Donovan's standpoint, completely healthy this time around, I wonder how you feel about that, going into the game; no nagging, no problems, no nothing?

COACH ANDY REID: That's a good thing. He was banged up a couple of years ago, came in last year and was pretty healthy; I know getting hurt during the game, but was healthy going in. It's a good thing. As many guys as you can have healthy going into this thing, the better.

Q. A lot of you guys have been talking this week about a swagger and confidence they didn't have, do you sense any of that, do you see anything different with your guys in the past week than in past years?

COACH ANDY REID: I think they are very confident. I do believe that. They are a good football team so they should be confident. But they are not boastful about it necessarily, with the exception of maybe Freddie. (Laughter) And Freddie doesn't boast in jest. But it's a confident bunch. Been a lot of fun to be around and they have a great personality.

Q. Not that your team needs any more incentive to win this game than they already have, but when players see T.O. walking around the complex, does it give them -- wow, he's worked hard to get to where he is, is that more incentive to win the game and get to Jacksonville?

COACH ANDY REID: I think they are all pulling for T.O. to get better and T.O., likewise, is pulling for them to have a good football game, so that he might have a chance to get himself back.

You know, T.O. keeps things loose, and I've said this from the get-go, he and Donovan are a great pair and it's hard to be uptight around them.

Q. You coached in Green Bay when the weather, especially around December, January is bad. Sounds like we are going to get snow or something; does it change things as much psychologically or physically or how does it play in?

COACH ANDY REID: I don't think so. Our guys are used to it. I don't think they will make a big stink of it. I think when it's all said and done, it comes down to playing the game. You take it one play at a time and you don't worry about all of the things you can't control and take care of the things that you can control.

The weather, one of those.

Q. With that, there's so many different projections about the weather. How do you actually follow the weather? Do you get reports every hour? How does it work?

COACH ANDY REID: I have a Doppler on my Blueberry. (Laughter) My administrative assistant gives me updates on it. A couple of the players have said they were tight the last couple of years and this year they are very loose.

Q. What have you as a coach done to try to keep them loose and have fun this week?

COACH ANDY REID: I think you just said it. To have fun, you have to have some guys that enjoy doing what they are doing and this group does. You know, they enjoy going to work and playing the game. They have made it very enjoyable to be out there and flying around and doing what they do best.

Q. How much of a factor in bringing Hugh back was that locker room presence, you get that looseness that spreads to everyone else?

COACH ANDY REID: Well, he's a big factor in there. He does just that. Everybody respects the heck out of him, just for the great player he is and has been. You know, he's got that personality that is contagious and it kind of touches everybody in that locker room and keeps everybody, if there's any anxiety, he loosens it up right away. He eases the storm there.

Q. Donovan says that he's envisioned winning, he's envisioned his teammates crowding around him, holding the trophy, the confetti coming down, he's been through this whole visionary thing. Have you gone through anything like that?

COACH ANDY REID: You know, I haven't. I guess when you've been that close and Donovan, I know, mentioned before the first year when we were playing the Rams, he stayed out for the celebration that the Rams went through, so he saw it firsthand.

I don't go there. I just kind of focus in -- I'm pretty blase when it comes to those kind of things. I try to focus on the game and don't go any further than that.

Q. No team has been to four straight NFC title games and not advanced. How do you -- I mean, is that a good thing or how do you feel about them?

COACH ANDY REID: Well, I guess it could be taken a couple of different ways. You sure would have liked to have won though games, no doubt about it.

But on the other hand, it's something to be proud of that you've made it to the Championship Game. There are a whole lot of football teams that that would like to be sitting in your shoes over the last four years.

You know, there's a sweet side to it and a sour side to it but it's quite an accomplishment to the players. A tribute to them and the coaches.

Q. Donovan was saying that the approach the players were taking to this game was a little different than the last three years. Is that something that comes down to coaching or is that just the players are doing?

COACH ANDY REID: I think that they have been there before, and probably the ones that you've talked to about it, they understand what they need to do to get ready and maybe things that they thought they could do better the year before and so on. So you know, I'm sure that happens, just haven't been to this place before.

Q. Do you feel any differently or approaching this game any differently than you have in the past three seasons.

COACH ANDY REID: I said earlier, there are things you learn. There are things you learn from every win and every loss.

The fact that this is a single-elimination tournament over the last few years, I've learned some things that I sure could have done better. We'll see how that works out.

Q. Can you talk about Dexter and J'S progress and are you surprised to have two rookies starting as returners?

COACH ANDY REID: Well, they were very good in college and they have carried that over through this season. I think they have done a nice job. No. 1, they have secured the football, which is important. You know, whatever happens after that is icing on the cake. I don't care quite as much about the return part of it as I do taking care of that football. They have done very well with that.

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