Q: You’re still trying to win games right now, but how important is it to finish the year with momentum offensively, getting some good things done before you close out the season?

MATT CASSEL: “I think it’s very important and as we move forward I think this offense is looking to really build on what we’ve been able to do the last few weeks. We’ve started to come together a little bit as a unit, we’ve been better on third down and we’ve made some big plays offensively. So, as we move forward, we definitely want to build on that.”

Q: Do you feel you are a better team, at least offensively, than you were a month ago?

CASSEL: “There’s no doubt. I think a lot of it you can contribute to the fact we’ve been around each other a little bit longer, we’ve been in the system a little bit longer, we’re starting to understand terminology and route-calling steps and so forth. It just takes time like I said.”

Q: There are also some new pieces too?

CASSEL: “Right, there are new pieces of the puzzle that have been coming together. RB Jamaal Charles is a great example, he’s added quite a spark for the offense and he’s made some big plays. You see that week-in and week-out, that big-play potential and obviously adding WR Chris Chambers, he’s really stepped his game up for us.”

Q: Do you ever wonder where you guys might be if WR (Chris) Chambers had been here from the start?

CASSEL: “You know I never really look back, I’m just happy that he’s here now. He’s really added a spark to this offensive team and he’s a veteran guy and he’s been great to have around some of our young receivers as well.”

Q: Do you feel that you are personally more comfortable when your own back, personally, is up against the wall a little bit and maybe you have to take some more chances, because it seems like maybe you’ve been more productive late in games?

CASSEL: “You know it’s just the flow of the game. I don’t know why that is right now. Obviously as an offensive unit, we’d like to get started earlier and we’re going to continually be working on that, but the big plays have really showed up in the third and fourth quarter for us, and a lot of that just has to do with people giving us an opportunity to make a big play and for whatever reason, they’ve been happening later in the game.”

Q: Is it possibly less pressure on you late in the game when your back is maybe against the wall rather than early in the game when it might be 0-0 and you could be worried about making a mistake and having your team get down early, especially because if you make a mistake late in the game, no one is going to blame you?

CASSEL: “Not at all. Especially when you’re down like we were against the Steelers; at that point we were down by a touchdown, we needed to make a big play and for a QB, you know that the pressure is on in that situation, especially when I had the turnover the series before, there’s a lot of pressure – I know that I have to go out and try and perform. We were luckily able to get something going and we had some big plays down the field and it was just part of the flow of the game. It’s no different for me, my approach in the first quarter than it is in the third and fourth quarter, it’s just a simple fact that we’ve been able to make big plays.”

Q: After that turnover, how did the guys on the sideline react?

CASSEL: “The defense was coming on the field and they rallied behind me and said ‘don’t worry, we’ll get it back.’ We got it back and the offensive unit really stepped up and we made some plays.”

Q: WR Chris Chambers explained that he would go into the huddle and explain the things that he’s seeing while running on the field, but the play calls are coming in from the sideline. How does that work when you’re working with a player who sees one thing on the field and you’re also trying to balance the plays that are being called?

CASSEL: “I think a great example is what you just said. Chris (Chambers) came over on the sideline and that safety had jumped an in-cut earlier in the game and it was almost picked off and he did a great job breaking it up. He said, ‘hey this guy’s dropping down on that in-cut, let’s run an in-go.’ We make the adjustment on the sideline, Coach (Todd) Haley does a great job responding, implementing it in the game and putting it together on the sideline. He then called it late in the game and it was a big play for us.”

Q: So it’s not a huddle thing?

CASSEL: “It’s not a huddle thing; it’s more on the sideline and Chris being a veteran guy, which speaks to his professionalism. He’s been around for awhile and he’s able to communicate what he’s seeing on the field and that really helps us offensively, especially from a QB standpoint because you can’t see everything all the time. For us to have that communication, it really helps to elevate our game.”

Q: Does that happen a lot or is that something that Chris just brought?

CASSEL: “It happens, but I think Chris being around, he’s very comfortable doing it and he’s very open in what he’s saying.”

Q: You said communication. There’s a big difference between coming back and saying ‘the safety’s jumping the in-route’ and saying ‘hey, Matt, I’m open, throw it to me’?

CASSEL: “Right, there’s no doubt. There is a big difference in saying ‘hey I think I can get him on the in-go next time we run it,’ or saying ‘hey, I’m open, let’s throw it up.’ So communication is key and being specific on what you’re seeing is always great for an offense.”

Q: This goes without saying, but how important is chemistry to a team like this that is still trying to find its identity?

CASSEL: “I think it’s huge. Chemistry is what really makes good football teams. It’s players caring about each other, it’s players caring about what they’re doing on a day-in and day-out basis. We’re still building that chemistry here and I think every guy in the locker room has bought in, they’re working hard and we’re trying to do our best. You can see our play starting to get better and I think that coming out and winning a tight game, because we’ve been in a lot of tight games this year, but to come out and actually win one against a good opponent was big for us.”

Q: This is all general, but when you know a player that is good is let go or gone, the team somehow gets better, it may seems like an unusual dynamic, but that happens doesn’t it?

CASSEL: “You see it throughout the entire league. Sometimes it is just a better fit to go a different direction. Luckily I’m not the guy making the personnel decisions, but they make the decisions and as a player you just know that it is part of the business and in the long run, you trust that GM Scott Pioli and coach Todd (Haley) are making the right decisions.”

Q: You’ve talked about the importance of the QB-WR relationship, with you and WR Chris Chambers, it seemed like you gelled right away. Why was that do you think?

CASSEL: “It’s something that I spoke to before, about him being around for a long time; he’s veteran guy and knows what it takes to be successful in this league – he’s had a lot of success. He understands route-calling steps. He understands communicating with the QB and letting him know what he’s seeing out there because then you can help each other that way. I think that we’ve built a good relationship so far and it’s just him doing his job and I’m giving him the opportunity to make some plays. He’s doing a great job for us.”

Q: How much have you picked his brain about the Chargers this weekend?

CASSEL: “We’ve talked a little bit about it and I’m sure we’ll continue to talk about it, especially the DBs and everything. The Chargers are playing great football right now; we know we’ve got our work cut out for us. They’ve won five straight, their defense is really playing well right now and we just have to come out with the mentality that we have to play better than what we did the first ballgame against them. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Q: In light of that, is this kind of a measuring-stick game for you guys?

CASSEL: “I think we’ve had a number of those games throughout the year, measuring stick games to see where we are. Of course, every week you want to evaluate yourself against the best and San Diego right now is playing as good of football as anybody. It’ll be a great test for us to see where we’re at.”

Q: Just talk about how they handled you in the first game and now you get them a month later?

CASSEL: “You know, you look at that game and I went back and I’ve watched it a few times. You really watch that game get out of hand in the second half when we’re trying to make some plays and we need to do a better job of managing the game early, keeping it close and then putting ourselves in a position to win at the end.”

Q: What do you do at Thanksgiving? Do you eat a lot and watch football?

CASSEL: “I give thanks. I think it’s a great time to give back to the people around me and to call my family and friends and let them know that I care about them and I love them. Then just be very grateful for the position that I’m in and to be here with this great organization and to be in the position that I’m in as a QB, because last year, looking at it, I didn’t know what my future was going to take me, but I have a lot to be thankful for.”

Q: Coach (Todd Haley) talks a lot about breaking the season up into quarters, saying that it simplifies it. How do you think that helps players simplify the season?

CASSEL: “You look at it in quarters and that is the way that coach likes to look at it. It’s tough to look at quarters when you look at overall records, but at the same time right now, in the third quarter of the season, we’re 2-0 and it kind of keeps things in perspective, meaning let’s play our best football of the year right now in these last two months of the season and let’s build some momentum and get better as a team.”