Pettine: 'We're leaving some out there'

[Cheesehead]

(on the pass rush)


It’s a pretty good group, as evidenced by the results. You ask those guys or Coach Montgomery or Coach Smith and we’re leaving some out there. As far as groups that I’ve coached before, this has to be up there. One group in Buffalo, we had pretty high pressures and sack numbers.


(on adding new talent)


It’s a players’ league, and that’s what I learned a long time ago. Scheme is important, coaching is important, but it’s about players making plays, especially in crunch time. Teams are going to try to get the ball to their best player. That’s the NFL. As a coach you want your best talent available. We’re in the business of playing the hand that’s dealt to us, and it’s our job to maximize on the output of who we have out there. If you have injuries, you move on, and that’s the league. I think we’ve hit a home run with the free-agent additions. They’ve all exceeded our expectations, and they all bring different types of leadership.


(on the Dallas comeback)


It’s a good lesson for our guys, because you can’t relax in this league. The two-play drive, the quick one that hurt. We needed to make them earn those and make sure we were staying on top. It’s something we have to learn from.


(on Jaire Alexander’s game vs. Cowboys)


Anytime you get beat on a double move, it’s just all about your eyes. One thing Coach Simmons and Coach Downard preach is eye discipline. It’s not just Jaire. He’s so into it and wants to do so much and wants to win so badly, he wants to peek elsewhere. We try to bring those guys back. Do your job, good things will happen. That’s what those guys have to learn sometimes.


Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett


(on how the game plan comes together)


Every week you have different challenges, different people you’re going against. Dallas does a good job taking away the guys on the outside. We were able to attack in some different spots which got some other guys the ball. Each week it’s a little bit different. We just want to do what’s best for the team, where we think we can attack a team. That’s what we’re trying to achieve.


(on looking for more big plays in the passing game)


We had a couple explosive runs that really helped us last week. For us, it’s going to be about balance first and foremost. If the passes are there, we want to take those. If they’re not there, we have to do what’s right.