INDIANAPOLIS -- His team's playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers has been gnawing at Falcons coach Mike Smith this offseason.
His young and improving defense yielded 48 points and did not force a punt against the Packers, who went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
"When you sit down and review the season, regardless of the outcome, you are going to see things that become apparent that maybe weren't apparent during the season," Smith said. "We didn't reach our goals internally, and that leaves a bad taste in your mouth as a staff and as an organization."
At the NFL scouting combine last week, in an exclusive interview over breakfast at a bagel shop, Smith reviewed the season and talked about the team's improvement plan with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In the second part of the Q&A, Smith gives his thoughts on the defense.
Q: What were some of the issues with the defense?
A: It was good to see the production of our right defensive end, John Abraham. It was great to see him rebound.
But overall, they still are young. We've got to have pressure on the quarterback. It's not always defined by how many sacks that you have. You want to make sure that the quarterback is under duress and that he's not able to sit back and feel comfortable in the pocket.
We always are trying to improve our pass rush. I think that we do have some young guys that will continue to develop, but that is always an area where you can improve.
There are certain positions that have a premium in the league, and that doesn't change. You want to have a guy who can get to the quarterback. You'd like to have multiple guys who can get to the quarterback. That's something that we are going to try to continue to improve.
Q: Some folks on the blogs are starting to contend that Peria Jerry is a bust. What's his future?
A: As the season progressed, he became more productive. He was recovering from his knee just like [wide receiver] Harry Douglas. Even though guys have come back in that first year, they are not 100 percent until their second season.
We saw progress from Peria throughout the season. Peria was used basically as more of a situational player.
We feel that he'll continue to progress.
Q: Can he still be a disruptive force at defensive tackle?
A: Of course. There is no doubt. You saw that at the end of the season where he was penetrating and getting into the backfield and creating tackles for losses.
But sometimes there are things that don't show up in the stat book. Like, if he's being doubled-teamed or if he's forcing the ball to the bubble [an open area], where a guy has an opportunity to get off the block and go make the play.
Q: How did the secondary hold up last season?
A: I thought that we made strides. We were much more productive on the ball with the number of interceptions and the number of passes defensed. That is very important because in our division, you're going to face two very good quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Josh Freeman. Pass breakups, pass deflections and interceptions are key.
Q: You increased the playing time for safety William Moore and nickel back Christopher Owens. How did they play?
A: I felt like they developed. I felt like there was a great maturation process with William Moore. I think that Chris Owens will continue to develop.
To start the season, Chris was our starter, and then he actually injured his back early in the season. He was taken off the field. He hurt his back, and that's what facilitated Brian Williams' opportunity to get back in there.
We feel that the progress of Christopher at the nickel is good. He'll be fine.
Q: After the playoff game, did you have to talk to Owens? How did he survive that game?
A: There were a bunch of guys that had a bad day, including me. I had a bad day. Chris is going to develop. He has the skill-set to play both inside and outside. He's a very tough kid. He's physical.
Q: How did the starting cornerbacks play?
A: I think we saw the development of Brent Grimes. We saw Dunta Robinson get back to full speed. I thought that he was a factor this year in terms of where the ball was being thrown.
I think Brent Grimes ended up being the most targeted cornerback in the league last season, and he was able to do a good job for us.
Q: How do you view the linebacker group?
A: We still have depth within that group. Because of the different packages that you see on defense, there are going to be more guys that are specialized. Mike Peterson was our base defender against the run, and Sean [Weatherspoon] ended up playing in our [nickel] package. I thought that when Sean was out, that Stephen Nicholas did a very good job of fitting into that role.
We have some young guys that have been contributing on special teams, in Spencer Adkins and Robert James. There is going to be a great opportunity this offseason for them to show what they can do.
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