Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith gave his Monday press conference, discussing the team's 27-3 win over the San Diego Chargers as well as the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers. In addressing injuries, Smith said that Julio Jones was simply dealing with a laceration, but Michael Palmer was out for the week with a shoulder injury.
Smith credited the San Diego win to starting fast and not letting up, which in turn he credited to Matt Ryan's maturity and better sense of pocket awareness. In discussing the defense he credited their confidence multiple times and praised their ability to create turnovers.
Smith was diplomatic when addressing the issue of replacement referees:
"It's not any different than when you had the full-time officials, not the replacement officials. It's a fine line. They have a job to do and we have a job to do as well. I think for the most part, our coaching staff does a very good job of letting the officials do the officiating and we do the coaching. Maybe there have been a couple of times over the last four years that I've done some things that my mother is not real happy to see on the sideline (smiling). You have to let those guys do their job. They have a job to do, just like we have a job to do. They're going to make mistakes, and we're going to make mistakes. I made a bunch of mistakes yesterday, just like some of our players out there on the field."
In terms of looking forward, Smith stressed the need to stay sharp and to focus on getting better as well as developing a plan to stifle Cam Newton and the option offense used by Carolina.
The full transcript for the press conference is available at the official Falcons website.