On the 49ers…

These guys are greedy man. They led the league last year in turnovers. I don’t know how many turnovers they have this year so far, but based on what they did last year, we know that this is a takeaway team. They like to get the ball in their defense’s hands (and) give it to the offense. The offense basically has very few turnovers from last year and I think they’re continuing to do the same thing this year. As far as the cornerbacks go, (I’m) really excited about these guys. (They are) playing a lot of press man-to-man. We have to be aware of the different coverages that they run, having guys pressed up, but they can be in different types (of) looks, so we really have to study hard this week and be prepared for it.

On if the 49ers will pay extra attention to him after his big game at Miami.…

I have no idea how these guys are going to play me. I think the last time I played them was in 2009 maybe, when I was with the Steelers, so I really don’t have a clue of how these guys are going to play me this week. In all actuality, I think the game plan we have in front of us is really going to have us prepared for what their defense is going to do.

On what has helped improve his chemistry with Mark Sanchez on the field…

I think the practice, preparation, the things that we do during the off time when the defense is probably on the field, or (when) we’re doing special teams, how much time he and I spend together on the sideline just talking or just working on the routes that we have in practice that we didn’t connect on during the time we had practice (and) the extra meeting time that we have after practice every day, I think those things are really starting to (become a) factor for both of us.

On what has led to the rebuilding of his relationship with Sanchez…

I wouldn’t call it a rebuilding stage because from the moment I walked in (the door), I believed Mark Sanchez was going to be our guy and I was going to be the guy to be beside him 100 percent. Three years has been a long time running together. You just kind of find that knack for each other and have a better understanding of how things can be done on both ends, whether he’s placing the ball outside with the technique of a defender playing me inside, he’s throwing the ball low when a safety is coming to make a tackle (or) he’s putting the ball on the outside. However those things work, he’s getting a better feel for how I play the game (and) how we should play the game together.

On the play that he and Sanchez site-adjusted on the field…

I remember it exactly. You just go out and have fun. In the heat of the battle, sometimes plays are going to be called and you have to know what to do in those situations. I think Coach Sparano trusts me as a seven-year veteran receiver that I will get the job done no matter what. He didn’t want to make any type of exception for me, changing the route or doing something different during that play, but in the heat of the battle, he understood the only thing that mattered was the catch. The type of coverage that they had called for us, the route was not the right call for me to run in that coverage. I just found a way to get open for Sanchez once I saw him scrambling in the backfield.

On when the play happened…

If I talk about those plays, that’s going to give insight to the other teams on the things we do versus their coverages, so we can’t talk about those.

On dropped passes…

Anything (can happen) when you drop the ball: you can get your finger jammed, the ball can be too high, the ball can be thrown too low, the defender can get his hand in there and knock the ball down. Anything can happen. You count drops if you exactly get your hands on the ball and the ball goes through. You count those as drops, not what everybody else sees (as) a dropped pass, in our book.

On if he can help Joe McKnight transition to cornerback…

As of right now, he has a lot of learning to do. I think that’s a complicated defensive scheme that he’s going into and his job is to just learn as much as he can as of right now. I’m pretty sure he has a lot of background and experience in playing defensive back, or else you can’t make that change from being a professional running back to a professional defensive back. I think with the experience and the coaches’ trust (in) him that he can get the job done. I’m excited to see him get over there on that side of the ball and hoping he can contribute for (Darrelle) Revis as much as he can.

On if the offense has more obligations now that the defense is missing Darrelle Revis…

I don’t think so. I think our job is just to go out there and do what we do. We can put more points on the board. We can keep the defense off the field and sustain drives of 90 yards, 80 yards, 70 yards, or however many yards it is, and 13, 14-play drives. I think it gives our defense an advantage to just sit back and relax a little bit and go out and play football.

On if he can explain why he has drawn so many penalties on defenders this season…

I don’t know, It’s Coach Sanjay (Lal) telling me to play fast.  He studied a lot of film on me, from the moment he walked in, and that’s all we’ve been talking about. How can number 10 play faster than what he (has played in the past)? I think just playing faster and being smarter, knowing I have an advantage with my stride length, my speed, my quickness, my ability to catch (against) these defensive backs. These guys are going to play to their advantage. I would rather take the penalty if I was a defensive back, than to give up a big play by number 10.

On if he is looking forward to the regular referees potentially being back…

It really doesn’t make a difference who’s out there calling (the game). We could have guys off the streets just come in and call fouls on the football field. It’s according to what we do and how well we execute. For me as a receiver, my job is to continue getting open and drawing penalties, no matter what. I think these guys (the officials) are just going to have a lot more respect for (the game) the way the replacement refs have been calling the game and see it a little bit better on their end, from sitting back home watching these calls. Who’s to say what’s going to happen when these guys come back. I’m excited that a deal can get done for these guys and I hope to see them on the field soon.

On of a penalty feels as good as a catch…

I honestly don’t like them, but I know it helps the team out as much as it can. Any moment, when you’re catching a ball in the end zone and you get a flag drawn, you don’t want that running back to be on the one-yard line and steal your touchdown. I’m sorry (laughter), I don’t get excited about that, but I’m excited for the team. For me personally, I’d rather make that catch in the end zone, than have a penalty drawn on me.

On if he knows the amount of penalties he is drawing…

Not at all. I mean, this year it just happened to come about.  These are some things that have just been noticeable. It’s really messing with my catches, I can honestly say that. It’s keeping them down by having the penalties drawn.  If we can keep stats on penalties per game, per player, I think those yards would add up. We can add them to our receiving yards. (joking) They really do count.  They hurt the receivers’ average and how they play and their performance. When you’re drawing so many penalties, you don’t get opportunities to get any catches.

On if he attempts to influence officials to make calls…

We leave that up to the coaches. We go to the sideline and we talk to our coaches as much as we can about what’s going on on the field and the situations. We leave that up to the coaches. Like my receiver coach, I think he talks to the refs enough to let them know when things aren’t going well for us as receivers or if the defensive back is doing something different that they’re not paying attention to. He may mention it, and I’m sure every other receiver coach around the NFL does the same thing.

On what helps Sanchez make winning plays in the fourth quarter…

I think it’s just the comfort. Once you get comfortable in a game and you get a few completions here and there, I think the mindset changes. The attention to detail changes, the focus of the game, he (Mark Sanchez) starts to flow with it. I’m pretty sure every quarterback has their days where they’re up first quarter and they’re down by the third quarter. I think it’s a course of a game, four quarters – that you play until the end of the game. No matter what happens during the course of the game, we’re just satisfied with the results at the end.

On trusting Sanchez in the fourth quarter…

I think it’s more so being in the game at any particular time. Say if we’re close in a game, we know all it takes is one play to make all the difference in football. There’s one play that can change a game. During the course of a game, you play to your strength as if one play makes it better. The next play makes it even better, and you continue to stack those plays on top of each other.