TODD HALEY: “With all due respect, I’m not answering anything on Larry [Johnson]. Period. If you want to ask questions about our team and the bye and getting better that’s what I’ll answer.”

Q: What are you working on?

HALEY: “Kind of like I touched on yesterday, the things that have been a consistent problem for us. On offense, minus plays - doing things that will help us eliminate those plays. We’ve now done an extensive study on it trying to figure out why, trying to implement some of those thoughts into practice.

“Defensively, really just trying to work together as a unit and eliminate big plays and hone in on what we do well as a team across the board, special teams included.”

Q: Do you see them taking to it as you try to do this during the bye week?

HALEY: “Yeah, I think this again is an excellent week to get better and much needed for us. Thought we had a very good practice yesterday, very good practice today. Think the guys are into it, they’re energetic, they’re flying around and I thought it was a competitive, spirited practice.”

Q: Can self-scouting be eye-opening at times?

HALEY: “Yeah, it’s very eye-opening. Self-scout is something we do all the time from week to week but when you actually sit and you put the plays together – say, all the sacks together or all the minus runs together – now as you start to watch it you start to see a little bit of a pattern. You realize some things maybe you haven’t realized in the week to week process.”

Q: Where is Kolby Smith right now after missing a year to injury? Is he where you hoped he’d be?

HALEY: “Again, I haven’t been around Kolby up close and personal other than the Combine or the pre-season. I don’t have a great bit to judge him on. But I do know that it’s a difficult fight he’s gone through to get to where he’s at. I would say I’m encouraged where he is right now.”

Q: Is there anything you learned that you might do a little different than you did the first seven games?

HALEY: “I think that’s something I do work on all the time just because it’s the bye week although this does give us a little more time. I’m trying to be the best I can be every day in whatever ways I can improve to better coach this team and coach my staff. That is something I’m always trying to evaluate and improve. I understand this is a first year thing for me and, as I’ve kind of said in here a bunch, every day is a new day and every day is a learning experience for me and every game is a learning experience with all the things a head coach has to do that I haven’t had an opportunity to do. So, I think it is all one big learning process for me and I’m trying to ask the right questions of people: what do you think, what do you think I can do, how can I be better? I think that’s the way you improve.”

Q: Do you have people you can bounce things off of, one or two people you trust?

HALEY: “Sure and I’m grateful to have the people in my life as mentors. I feel like I have some pretty strong people that I can go to and can generally get pretty good advice. They definitely won’t tell me just what I want to hear.”

Q: Does this week give you a chance to catch up installing some offense that you didn’t get a chance to change?

HALEY: “Without a doubt. This week is much needed. Sometimes bye weeks are needed to get healthy. A lot of different reasons bye weeks help you out. It couldn’t come at a better time for us because we really were in a pressure situation to get the offense in, to get it learned and get it taught. This is a great week to have some extra time to fine tune it or talk about some things that we really didn’t have time to get to. I think it’s perfect timing for us offensively.”

Q: Will the rest of the season be a better microcosm or a better example of a Todd Haley offense?

HALEY: “I hope the second half of the season we’re a top five offense.”

Q: What’s the balance between what you may have thought and what you would like to see and what you have to adjust to the skill set you have?

HALEY: “Again, I would say that it’s where the bye week comes in and trying to evaluate ourselves. There is a way you want to play and then there’s a way you can play. Obviously, the way we’re playing isn’t good enough or isn’t at a level that is good enough for us to win games. You are what you are and we’re 1-6. We’ve had some high points and we’ve had some low points. But I think it’s about making sure you’re doing what you can do. Again, this time is great for us to try and evaluate and fine-tune and hone in what we can do well that will carry us the rest of the season.”

Q: How comfortable would you be entering a game with Jamaal Charles as your primary back? Is he an every-down back?

HALEY: “As I said, running back is a position of strength for us. The fact that Kolby is coming around is an exciting thing for me because I think he’s got a chance to be decent. But that’s a position of strength for us but we haven’t been where we need to be obviously. I think we’ve worked hard at running the ball but really the results aren’t there right now. Again, this week is a great week to really improve that aspect of our offense. With this team running the ball is something we’re going to have to do successfully to compete every week.”

Q: Your players are getting Friday, Saturday and Sunday off? What about your staff?

HALEY: “That’s not for sure. We’re evaluating these three days and there is a potential for a Saturday practice. We’re going to see how these three days go.”