Head coach Mike McCoy
On what he's seen from the Falcons:
"Well, I know offensively, they're a very explosive team with the skill players they have. Matt (Ryan) is having a phenomenal year. He's been very productive year in and year out, and I think the longer you play in a system with the players (who are) your teammates, the better you get. So it's a very explosive offense, both throwing the football and running the ball. They've got two really good backs who go in there and do good things for their team. They're a very explosive team. Defensively, they're very well coached. Knowing some guys on their defensive staff, and the head coach (Dan Quinn) and the way he teaches things, we have to go up there and play our best game this week."
On Atlanta's ability to spread the ball around:
"That's what the good teams can do. When you have to throw it to win games, you throw it. When you have to run it, you run it. And this is a team, the Falcons, that can do both on a consistent basis. They have a lot of talented players, a good front and a great quarterback. So it's a great challenge for our defense."
On the Falcons' personnel changes in 2016:
"(For) every team, every organization, there's changes (year-to-year). Your personnel changes, but the system's in place with what Kyle (Shanahan) is running offensively. A big part of your job as a coach is to put players in a position to succeed, and I look through the first six weeks of the season, and they've done a great job doing that."
On the durability of Ryan and Philip Rivers:
"When you talk about both of them, they're competitors. They truly love to go out and play the game. They work extremely hard. I've known coaches who have coached Matt. I've never been in the meeting rooms with him, but just from what everybody says — his work ethic, the way he loves (the game), the way he prepares — that's the (key). The guys just do it the right way. That's what the great ones in this game do. It's not only when they're on the field, it's off the field. It's the leaders they are with their teams."
Quarterback Philip Rivers
On Atlanta's defense:
"It's a good group that flies to the football. The first thing that stands out is how they all fly to the football. Obviously they have a couple guys that can rush the passer, and have a very active secondary. They don't do a ton defensively, schematic-wise, but what they do they do it well. They make you earn everything you get."
On Dwight Freeney and his spin move:
"I think over Dwight's career, his spin move is no secret. But however, it continues to work. Obviously our guys here went against him when he was here in practice. It's tough, because he can go around the corner, and he has that spin move, so he's got 120-plus sacks using variations of those two moves and other things. We know he can still do it. … He's still got some juice left."
On Atlanta's adjustments on defense:
"They certainly had some injuries. … Seeing (Sean Weatherspoon) out of there — when he got hurt, there's been a lot of different guys shuffling since then. (Kemal Ishmael) mixed in there playing linebacker last week, and he was playing really good strong safety. … They've had to do some shuffling. Every team deals with it; seems like they've handled it pretty well. They've got guys that are out there that they expect to play at a high level."
