On whether he plans to alter the strategy with K David Akers at all: "I don't think our strategy changes on things. The leg strength is definitely there. Dave showed a lot of improvements in terms of his kickoffs; he's getting better hang time. I think he's had six touchbacks, which I think he had in the whole season last year. The leg strength's definitely there, it's just a matter of working out some technical issues on things. I feel like he's going to continue to work and we'll get that fixed."
On what the technical issues are: "I won't get into the technical things, but it's definitely fixable. Again, with Dave's leg strength, I think we're in a position there to iron that out and be able to hit those kicks and put him in that position again."
On the kick return game vs. Washington: "I have to give Washington a lot of credit. Last week, we went into the game and they were giving up less than 18 yards a return and they did a great job against us. They have some big guys on the field with great speed and we struggled a little bit. We were a block or two away a couple times of being able to hit some seems, but they are a very good coverage team. We just have to make sure that we continue to work on our basics, our fundamentals, and make sure we pick up those blocks, regardless of competition."
On whether he's happy with how KR Quintin Demps has progressed: "I think he's starting to understand the game a little bit better. He had some success here during the preseason. It's just a matter, again, of making sure each individual guy is making his block and sustaining those blocks for him. Also the reads; we change up the returns on occasion. It's just making sure he's making the right reads on each return."
On how important it was to see PR DeSean Jackson's success vs. Washington: "He's definitely an explosive guy. He's a guy with the speed and the vision to be able to set those blocks up and get around the perimeter on things and hit a crease and change some angles. We hope that he continues to have that kind of success. The main thing is just making sure that he's fielding that ball solid and getting up the field and making sure that we're not losing yardage on certain plays. A lot of times, he tries to make just a little bit too much happen, but you can't fault a guy for trying to make a play. Obviously, it's great when it pays off."
On how quick David Akers is to overcome tough games: "Each time he takes the field, it's a new kick. That's the approach he takes. That's the approach we take. We know that he's got the capabilities to get those kicks made. Every time he goes out, it's a new situation and we have to go out and make sure that we approach it that way."
On whether there's been any talk about changing the offensive strategy as a result of Akers' recent missed field goals: "No, the strategy won't change there. We go out in pregame and try to get a feel for the range. We'll stick with that."
On special teams penalties and whether he plans to do anything to curb them: "That's definitely been a point of interest here over the last couple of weeks, and we continue to get those penalties. I think the players have gotten together and decided to govern themselves on it. There's very little we can do, as coaches, but it's obviously something that they all take great pride in. A lot of it has to do with the technique; being in the right place at the right time. Again, it's just one of those deals where we have to make sure that we're taking care of our responsibilities and doing things the way they're supposed to be done and we'll get that handled."
On whether he believes special teams could be a decisive phase of the game against the 49ers: "That's how we approach special teams every week. You never know, four or five plays can decide the outcome of the game and you never know if they're going to occur on offense, defense or special teams. We want to make sure that we're putting ourselves in position to be able to make the plays, if it comes down to that. I don't think you can say that there's more emphasis on one game than there is on another. Again, it's just going out and executing each week."
On what P Sav Rocca has done to get better since 2007: "I think the main thing is just the repetition. Just going out and understanding what it takes for each situation there - a pooch punt, a field punt, backed-up punt - just understanding what we're trying to get out of each situation and then trusting his fundamentals and applying them per situation. I think he's done a great job of that this season, but I still feel like there's room for improvement. He's got a very strong leg and, hopefully, we'll continue to see that improvement as the season goes along."
