Head coach Doug Pederson
On Matt Ryan and his strong start:
"Well, I'll tell you, he's definitely playing at an extremely high level. He's got tremendous skill around him. Julio Jones is by far one of the top receivers, if not the top receiver in the National Football League, in my opinion. He's playing really well, too. Obviously you learn from experiences and rely on those a little bit, and I think what Matt has done is, one, he's taking care of the football, and two, he's just letting the game come to him. He's not pressing any issues; he's an accurate passer. He's big and strong and tall in the pocket. And he's just utilizing the strength of his offense. His offensive line is playing good, so he's definitely playing Pro Bowl-caliber (football) right now. As a former quarterback, it is fun to watch guys like that who play at a high level."
On what it takes to contain Julio Jones:
"Oh man, I'll tell you, that kid is pretty special. Good athlete. You see teams try to be physical with him, and it's hard. You see teams that try to roll coverage to him, and it's hard because he's so big and strong. He knows how to get open. He and Matt are definitely on the same page when it comes to these routes and the throws that they're completing. Somebody like that, gosh, you just do the best you can to contain. It's probably going to take two defenders at times. There are going to be times when he's singled up, and we're going to have to put pressure on Matt with probably a rush and all of that. You can't go to sleep on a guy like Julio Jones, because he can not only beat you with the underneath stuff, but he has the ability to track the ball, high-point the ball when it's in the air, and he does a nice job down the field as well."
On Atlanta's defense:
"Well I think the young players are playing better. One thing that you see with coach (Dan) Quinn and the guys is, they don't do a lot on defense. … And that's a credit to the coaches in letting their players just line up and play fast. And they're getting better within the scheme and getting faster. This is an aggressive group. Obviously, it starts with the D-line, the guys up front. They are a very, very active group. … They can put pressure on the quarterbacks just with their front four, sometimes five. And these young linebackers can run. That's the one thing you can see on tape is how well they run and attack downhill. 'Keep it simple.' Sometimes we say that as coaches, but sometimes that's the smart thing to do, especially when you have young players, to allow those guys to play and play fast."
On Vic Beasley Jr.'s development:
"I'll tell you what, this kid — he knows how to rush the passer. He's quick, he's aggressive off the ball, a quick-twitch guy. I like everything about him. A good player, a kid that's explosive. And, as a unit offensively, the offensive line, you kind of have to know where he lines up."
Quarterback Carson Wentz
On if he admired Matt Ryan growing up:
"Without a doubt. I've been a fan of his game for a while coming out (of college). I always thought he was such a calm — a kind of calm leader, and he did things the right way. He made plays, he made throws and I've always admired him. He's just a very well-rounded quarterback. Obviously, this year, he's had a heck of a season so far. It's pretty impressive. Again, I have a lot of respect for his game and I look forward to going up against him."
On Atlanta's defensive scheme:
"They're very kind of straightforward. You kind of know what you're going to get, and they know you know that you know, if that makes sense. But what they do, they do it well. They kind of keep everything in front of them. They tackle really well. They've got a number of young guys, rookies, playing back there. But they're doing a really good job. So we know there's areas we can take advantage of, but we kind of have to be smart with how we attack that defense, because like I said, they know what they're doing, and you can tell they're prepared."
On his plan of attack:
"I think it's just be smart and kind of execute our gameplan. I don't think it'll take anything flashy; it's not going to take any tricks. We just have to execute. Like I said, they're kind of simple, they don't do a whole lot but they do it well. So we just have to take what they give us and just be smart with the football."
