Highlights

Q: What can you tell us about your new wide receiver?

TODD HALEY: “Chris Chambers is a guy that was obviously a high [draft] pick coming out – somebody that I did a lot of research on when he was coming out and someone I kept an eye on. He came available and again, in our quest to improve our team at every avenue we felt like he could potentially help us. We had experience playing against him and preparing for him so we had a bunch of different opinions on him and felt good about getting him in here.”

Q: He’s not a real fast guy, so what does he give you that you didn’t have?

HALEY: “His speed’s pretty good, maybe better than you give him credit for. He was a fast guy coming out and that was something that for sure we wanted to look at and watched a lot of tape on. He was a vertical threat for San Diego, so I do think he gives us some speed and vertical explosion. He’s always been a great leaper and explosive to the football, a big strong guy at 215 pounds. I think he adds a little to the mix.”

Q: Is he going to play Sunday?

HALEY: “We’ll see. We’re trying to get him ready. It’s a totally new system for him but he’s on it and we’re on him late last night and early this morning trying to get him up to speed. He took some reps today.”

Q: This is the fifth guy, I think, you’ve signed at that position since camp. Would you like to have that position to do over going into the off-season as far as stocking it?

HALEY: “I don’t know if there was a lot to stock it with in the off-season. It was an area we felt had to improve way back when Scott and I got here. There was no doubt about that and it was just a matter of some of the guys that we picked up being available back then. So, I don’t know if that would have made much of a difference in a couple of the guys who have come free since.”

Q: Is he a guy that has some more potential as a former first round guy?

HALEY: “He’s been able to stay relatively healthy. You haven’t seen a drop-off in speed and I’ve kind of been taught over the years that if somebody thought enough to take him number one it’s worth giving him a second or even potentially a third chance.”

Q: How has Dwayne Bowe continued to progress from earlier in the year and training camp?

HALEY: “I think Dwayne’s somebody that I’ve been on probably as much or more as anybody and he has fought through and continued to improve. You haven’t seen a great translation on the field and the games yet but I don’t think there is any doubt that Dwayne has improved and he is improving. As long as he continues to do the things he’s doing you should continue to see improvement there. I think as long as he’s doing that he has a chance to reach his potential as a player.”

Q: Does he still have technique or habits he needs to work through?

HALEY: “Yeah, any first, second, third or fourth year receiver is learning all the time. There is so much to learn at that spot. You’re learning all the time and you’re always trying to get better and I think that he’s being coached hard to get better at those areas and he’s taking to the coaching. I think he’s improved and he’s really improved in practice and that just needs to translate into the games a little bit.”

Q: Has he been a little more of a project than you thought he might be?

HALEY: “Again, receivers - and I’ve had a lot of experience with them – I think one of the first things I said to Dwayne was don’t give me your numbers. If a receiver’s on a losing team and has a 1,000 yards it really doesn’t count in my mind the same as a receiver who is on a .500 or above team and has numbers, because I think you’re behind and [the QB is] throwing all the time and some of those can be misleading. I think that’s something I made clear and that he had a long way to go. But again, I think he’s taking to the coaching and he’s responding and he’s buying-in and doing all the things we’re asking of him and we’re seeing clear improvement on a day-to-day basis. Now, I think it’s important that it translates into games.”

Q: How do you feel about the safety position with the loss of Page?

HALEY: “It’s an area of concern for us. We’ve been cross-training some of those corners to be alert in an emergency situation if we were to have something happen. But it’s an area of concern right now and is tenuous to say the least as we go forward this week.”

Q: Leggett said he played some at that position in college.

HALEY: “That’s one of the guys who has been getting a lot of work at safety. At show-team he was there way back in training camp. He’s got a bunch of reps and has been trained back there through the play-book, now being out there and actually running reps is a little bit different. I think I feel like at least we’re ahead of the curve with him.”

Q: So you would need help back there facing Jones-Drew this week.

HALEY: “Jones-Drew is a problem for the entire defense. He breaks more tackles I think than anybody in the league. That’s definitely something we have to do as a team, and that’s get 11 people to him every time he touches it.”

Q: What about Jamaal Charles starting? He’s about the same size as Chris Johnson and he lit up the Jags last week.

HALEY: “Chris Johnson is a special back but there are some similarities. I know Coach Carthon whenever he has guys who are similar in stature he puts a tape together and did way before this game for Jamaal to watch. We do that for receivers and quarterbacks, whoever. If you’re built like someone else or have a similar skill-set that’s a pretty good guy to watch. I also know that Mo had him watching Maurice Jones-Drew also for this week, too, just to get him ready for show-team if nothing else.

“I think Jamaal is his own person and he’s got a great opportunity here and I know he’s excited about it. He had a good day today and hopefully he’ll grab this opportunity by the horns, pardon the pun.”

Q: At the risk, I’m going to ask this anyway: there is a petition out there saying that people don’t want Larry Johnson to break the team rushing record. What’s your response to that?

HALEY: “I will not respond about that in any way.”

Q: Can you comment on the state of parity in this league? There seems to be some poor teams, some good teams and a few in the middle. The poor teams don’t seem to offer much threat to the good teams anymore. Is that true? Is it gone or just in transition?

HALEY: “That’s for some experts but I do know that each week some teams win that aren’t expected to win. I think it’s close to being balanced before it’s all over. All I can say is we’re 1-2 in this quarter of the season and we’re trying like heck to get to 2-2 to put this quarter away and start the third quarter. If we can do something positive this week that would sure help this team. I know last week I had a chance to sit down and watch some football and I saw some surprising results, at least some of the game. I think that’s what gives you hope as a football and coach. If so-and-so can do it, then you can do it.

“I’ve been part of a team – and I’ve talked about this before – that last year probably people didn’t give a lot of hope to and we found a way to do something pretty special. That’s what gives you the hope to go forward and get this team better every day, which I think we’re doing. Now we just need to have it translated on Sundays a little better.”

Q: Is Derrick Johnson continuing to do the things you want him to do to get better?

HALEY: “Yeah, I have no problem with how Derrick is preparing or playing. I have no problem at all with Derrick and I think he is continuing to get himself ready so when a bigger opportunity presents itself he’s ready for that. Right now, Demorrio Williams is not a reason why we’re where we’re at. Now, everybody is, but he’s played as good a football as anybody on this team.”

Q: When can a decision be made on Kolby Smith?

HALEY: “I said Friday and I was wrong. It’s Saturday.”

Q: You satisfied with how the team’s come back?

HALEY: “I am. They got some relief from hitting for the bye week and then they had the three days [off] and we had an enthusiastic practice on Monday in shells. Today I thought in pads could have been a rough day but was good. Not perfect by any means but again I think this team has shown nothing but signs of improving and getting better. That’s all I can hope for each day and that it translates on Sundays.”